*SHIPPING OPTIONS VARY DEPENDING ON THE DESTINATION, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR MORE DETAILS.

This listing is for a hand-painted shishimai akabeko made by Hanjiro in Fukushima.   An akabeko is a toy made from papier-mâché that’s shaped and painted to look like a red oxen. The body is hollow and the head bobs up and down when moved. Akabeko originated in the Aizu region of Fukushima, and is probably one of the most recognizable folk crafts from all of Tohoku. The red colour is believed to be lucky and auspicious for warding off smallpox and other childhood illnesses.  This particular beko is a combination of an akabeko with a shishigashira.  During New Year men wear shishigashira masks and perform a shishimai dance to purify the spirit of those he ‘bites’ on the head, and to drive out evil spirits.  This fellow is double the luck and ever so cute with its white tuft of hair!  It comes with its original paper storage box.

Hanjiro is a traditional crafts cooperative owned by the Watanabe family in Shirakawa, Fukushima.  It was named after first-generation Daruma maker Hanjiro Watanabe.  At that time Watanabe operated a tile shop during the middle part of the Edo period and produced a small number of Daruma in his spare time.  The second generation Watanabe Kaneshichi started producing “Shirakawa Daruma” at the end of the Edo Period during a great famine that struck the region.  Daruma will always pop back up when knocked down, so Watanabe created Daruma with the belief that no matter how difficult the situation is, if you don’t give up, you will be able to pick yourself up again someday.  The company is now managed by the 13th generation Watanabe Moriei and 14th generation Watanabe Takaaki and produces over 100 types of contemporary style Daruma.  In 1966 Hanjiro’s moulding techniques were recognised as an Important Cultural Property of Shirakawa City, and in 1979 they received the Traditional Crafts Industry Merit Award from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.  In 1997 "Shirakawa Daruma" became certified as a traditional craft of Fukushima Prefecture, and in 1999 they received a letter of appreciation from the Minister of Education awarded a letter of appreciation.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.                                                                 

Sizes

Paper Box:  H.7.2cm (2.8”) x 16.1cm (6.3”) x 9.7cm (3.8”)

Beko:  H.9cm (3.5”) including hair x L.13.5cm (5.3”) x W.5.8cm (2.2”)                                    

Condition

It’s a brand new item.                                                                                                             

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway: Airmail Small Packet (approx. 15-28 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail Small Packet (please send us a message).

**Asia:  Airmail Small Packet (approx. 15-21 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail Small Packet (please send us a message).

**Central Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico:  EMS Express 10-15 days.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.