In the style of the playful Shishi, this guardian lion bears a ferocious expression, lively standing on two hind feet, playfully holding a large ball in its front paws. He has bulging eyes, open jaws, baring fangs and tongue. Finely striated curling mane rendered into rows of snail-curls, and a large bushy tail threw across its back like rising flames. His head turned to the left and looked out with a menacing snarl. Notwithstanding all this power and rage, the mythical Shishi is adorned with elaborate motifs with fanciful enamels and gold brocade and fully realized in the round in composition. The Kutani lion displays a traditional boldness and subtlety in execution. It comes with a classic pinewood box. The maker's name "Hinomoto 品元" is hand-painted in swift Sumi grass script and dated the Showa period, attributed to the mid-twentieth century.