✳︎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: The wheels turn. No box / Branded "Tai-guruma" on the bottom, "Sho Hachiman" stamp on the side / Surface peeling (please refer to images) / Please understand that as a used item, there may be some age-related damage. Notes: Wheels (bark peeling) / There are marks from carving tools and scraping, and color unevenness 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 representation of the ancient myth of the sea bream swallowing a fishhook. What is that story? Hiko-hoho-demi (Yamasachi-hiko) exchanged his favorite bow with Umisachi-hiko's fishing gear and went out to sea. While Hiko-hoho-demi was fishing, he lost his fishhook. Oh dear, his elder brother Umisachi-hiko would not forgive him no matter how much he apologized. At his wit's end, Hiko-hoho-demi sought advice from Shio-tsuchi-nushi. He visited the sea palace in a basket with no eyes, and there, he finally retrieved the lost fishhook from the throat of a sea bream. And they lived happily ever after. This is a historically rich folk toy, deeply rooted in local faith, presented at the Kagoshima Jingu Shrine's festival (Fuji Festival), whose enshrined deity is associated with this myth and history. It is made by shaping sugi (cedar) wood into the form of a fish, painting it red with bands of gold, drawing black lines, and attaching four wheels. With its rustic charm and vibrant colors evoking a southern island atmosphere, it continues to be loved among folk toys nationwide. ◎⤵︎Search Terms Below Folk craft Japanese lucky charm Wood carving Ittobori (one-stroke carving) Lucky can Koppa doll Sasano Ittobori Offering Folk toy Ki-usagi (wooden bullfinch) Ainu carving Shaved Peasant art Shinto altar