This vintage ceramic toothpick holder is made by Midorigawa Shōten みどり川商店 and features a stylized horse head form with a beautifully balanced, sculptural silhouette. Finished in a soft turquoise-green glaze, the surface shows gentle crackle patterns and subtle tonal variations that add warmth and depth.
The horse motif is traditionally associated in Japan with strength, vitality, and protection, making this piece not only practical but also quietly symbolic. The compact size makes it perfect for everyday use on a dining table, tea tray, or counter, while its sculptural quality allows it to double as a small decorative object even when not in use.
Midorigawa Shōten was a small Japanese ceramics workshop / wholesaler, active mainly in the mid-Shōwa period (roughly 1950s–1970s). Rather than operating as a single “artist studio,” it functioned more like a local production house, commissioning or producing everyday ceramic items intended for domestic use and souvenir markets. Their output included practical yet decorative objects such as toothpick holders, small figurines, table accessories, and novelty ceramics.
Midorigawa Shōten pieces are often identified through style, glaze, and form, making surviving examples—like this horse-shaped toothpick holder—especially appealing to collectors of Shōwa-era folk design and vintage Japanese tableware.
Size: 4 x 3 x 6cm
