Catalog Number
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Catalog Number |
CAS 2019-0004-0022 | |
| Category | Folk Toys | |
| Object Name | Figurine (cow) | |
| Culture | Japanese | |
| Global Region | East Asia | |
| Country | Japan | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | ||
| County | ||
| Other Geographic Data | ||
| Maker's Name | ||
| Date of Manufacture | ||
| Collection Name | N/A | |
| Materials | Papier mâché [paper mache]; Paint; Metal; Commercial thread and cordage | |
| Description | Papier mâché figurine of a standing red cow with movable, bobbing head; Body of cow is painted red with gold, black, and white accents, and is ornamented with gold cord and various colored ribbons; Cow carries a black drum on its back and brass bell on either side; According to tradition, some 350 years ago the people of Aizu-Yanazu constructed the Kyokyuzo-do temple, using cows and oxen to haul the construction materials; When completed, one of the animals refused to leave and seemingly kept faithful watch by the temple gate, attracting pilgrims who wanted to see its unusual behavior; The monks began selling small effigies as an amulet, and its efficacy was assured during a smallpox epidemic, when reportedly, anyone who had one of these amulets was not touched by the illness; Single kanji painted on drum reads ? (fuku: “good fortune”). *Non-Roman alphabet characters are not legible in the online listing. Japanese characters, such as those included here, appear as a series of question marks. Other scripts, such as Greek letters, may appear as Roman letters but be inaccurately transcribed. | |
| Dimensions (cm) | Height = 7.0, Width = 5.5, Length = 9.5 | |