✳︎Item Name: Kagoshima Jingu "Tai-guruma" (Sea Bream Cart) ✳︎Artisan: Takeji Miyaji ✳︎Year of Production: Showa Period ✳︎Size: Approx. H 135 x L 14 x W 7.8 cm ✳︎Condition: Wheels turn. No box / Branded "Miyaji" on the bottom, "Sho Hachiman" on the side / Surface peeling (please refer to images) / As this is a used item, please understand that there may be some age-related damage. ✳︎Notes: Wheels (bark peeling) / There are marks from carving tools during shaping, chips, and uneven coloring, which are characteristic of old wood carvings. Please order with the understanding that this is a used item. The origin of this "Tai-guruma" is not just a specialty product of Kagoshima Prefecture, but is said to be a replica of the ancient myth of the red fish that swallowed a fishing hook. What is that story? Yamasa-hiko went out to sea after exchanging his favorite bow for Umisa-hiko's fishing gear. While trailing his fishing line, Yamasa-hiko lost his fishing hook. Oh dear, his brother Umisa-hiko would not forgive him no matter how much he apologized. Desperate, Yamasa-hiko sought advice from Shiodotsuchi-no-okina. He visited the sea palace in a basket with no eyes, and there, he finally retrieved the lost fishing hook from the throat of a sea bream, and they lived happily ever after. This is a historically rich, local folk toy presented at the Kagoshima Jingu Shrine's enshrined deity's festival (Fuji Festival), embodying local beliefs. It is made by shaping cedar boards into the form of a fish, with stripes of yellow and red, black lines drawn, and four wheels attached. With its rustic charm and colors rich in southern Japanese sentiment, it continues to be loved among folk toys nationwide. ◎⤵︎Search Terms Below Folk craft Japanese lucky charm Wood carving One-stroke carving Lucky can Koppa doll Sasano one-stroke carving Offering Folk toy Ki-usagi (wooden bullfinch) Ainu carving Shaving marks Peasant art Shinto altar #宮路武二