Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 1993-0001-0375   CAS 1993-0001-0375; Animated toy (mouse)
Category Folk Toys
Object Name Animated toy (mouse)
Culture Japanese
Global Region East Asia
Country Japan
State/Prov./Dist. Ishikawa Prefecture
County
Other Geographic Data City: Kanazawa
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture ca. 1960s
Collection Name Kadota Collection (Japanese Folk Toys)
Materials Wood; Bamboo; Paint; String; Wire
Description Carving of a rat with movable head and tail mounted on metal pins and manipulated by means of a side-mounted bamboo spring in conjunction with string; Rat's body is painted dark brown; When bamboo “spring” is compressed, the rat drops both its tail and head, thereby representing a caricature of lean times, showing rat trying to eat from empty rice bowl; This toy was first made in 1830 as an ironic but humorous comment on the great famine that occurred that year; Its production was resumed again after it appeared on the Chinese New Year’s stamp in 1960.
Dimensions (cm) Height = 7.1, Width = 5.7, Depth = 9.8