Shoki-sama (Small) [Minobe Onigawara Kobo Co., Ltd.] Unused I found this while cleaning out the closet. Height: 15cm Width: 10cm Depth: 5cm Weight: 703g It can be placed stably on the floor. Also, there are two holes, so you can hang it with a string or wire. How about it as interior decoration or as a talisman against evil? What is Shoki-sama: Shoki-sama is displayed indoors as a May doll or hanging scroll for academic achievement and warding off evil. This is a way of displaying it seen in the Kanto region, while in the Kinki region, it is displayed on the roof. Why is it displayed on the roof? There is a story behind it. In the past, when a pharmacy in Sanjo, Kyoto, put up a magnificent oni-gawara (demon tile), the wife of the neighbor fell ill. Upon investigation, it was found that the bad things reflected by the pharmacy's oni-gawara were entering the neighbor's house. So, they had a statue of Shoki-sama, who is stronger than an oni, made by a tile maker in Fushimi and placed it on the roof, and the illness was cured. This way of displaying it spread mainly in Kyoto, and it seems that the personality of the people of Kyoto, who would put up a Shoki-sama in their own house without saying anything when the neighbor did the same, was also related. By the way, if the neighbor has an oni-gawara, Shoki-sama is placed facing it, but in the case of Shoki-sama, they are placed with their eyes averted so that they don't glare at each other. In addition, there are cases where "Otafuku" (a smiling woman mask) is placed to laugh off Shoki-sama's glare. Shoki-sama has a powerful ability to ward off evil, and there was a reason why it is slightly turned to the side. I learned something new from this.