Rather than focusing on beauty norms, let’s examine this work as a depiction of a real living person. Although Sato Churyo strove for realism, he apparently had his doubts about the figure’s “potato-like face.” Even so, the work was highly acclaimed. The head conveys a simple impression with its single-fold eyelids and bulging cheeks, and Sato was lauded for dispensing with the influence of Western sculpture and realizing the first Japanese face made by a Japanese person. His model was the Gumma-born poet Okamoto Takashi. The work was acquired by the museum during its first year in operation. It was also the first sculpture to enter the collection.