Something Japanese ....

Finally went back for hula class after missing last week's session thanks to my gout attack. Had quite a bit of catching up to do! Az came back from Japan and got me this pretty lil horsie that I will be bringing to the office and put it at me desk to keep my golden ox company *grins* Thanks Az for the gift!!! I was curious what the wooden horsie was about and googled and came across this blog that had more information:

'The Kinoshita-koma wooden horse toy is a traditional handicraft handed down in Kinoshita in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. Kinoshita-koma, along with Yawata-goma of Aomori Prefecture and Miharu-goma of Fukushima Prefecture, are known as the three best wooden horse toys of Japan.

The origin of the Kinoshita-koma wooden horse toy dates back to the Heian period (794-1192). The Tohoku region has traditionally been a horse-breeding area and horses were indispensable for military affairs and agriculture in the old days. It is said that the provincial governors of this region always dedicated horses to the Imperial court whenever Komahiki (the horse exhibition) was held at the Imperial palace. When a horse was dedicated, a horse-shaped wooden ornament was put on the harness around the neck. Later, people began to make wooden horses modeling after this ornament.

These wooden horses were sold at the festivals of Mutsu Kokubunji Temple or Hakusan Shrine as the talisman to protect horses and drive away evils. Gradually, they became a popular souvenir item for temple and shrine visitors and farmers began to make them during the agricultural off-season. Their cute figures attracted attention of travelers and they became known all over the country. '

Another site has a nice picture of the horsie but with a different style. Information about the horsie that they displayed on their site:

'Hand-made Japanese wooden hachiman horse figure. Dolls such as these were originally made to act as good luck charms by horse breeders in Aomori prefecture, an area of Japan long famous for quality equine stock. The dolls are painted with bold colors and patterns to represent a horse’s strength and vitality and to act as a ward against disease or accident.'

Very cool. Am going to google some more to see what else is available. The photo of my horsie is definitely going into my flickr page!