Diameter: 6cm In Toyama, there are many "kaemono" (exchange) rituals, and each shrine has small, cute "kaemono" with fixed colors and shapes. This is a motif of a torii gate, and a memo that appears to be from Daimon Shrine in Imizu City can be seen on the back. A "kaemono" ritual is an event where crowds of people visiting a shrine exchange items they are holding one after another, and the shrine bestows blessings upon those who obtain a specific item. ＜About Toyama Clay Dolls＞ In the late Edo period, the then lord of Toyama Domain, Toshiyasu Maeda, invited Hidenobu Hirose, a potter from Nagoya, to build a kiln in the Chitose Palace and have him create works. These were called "Chitose-yaki." Later, Yasujiro, Hidenobu Hirose's son, was ordered by the lord to bake and present a Tenjin Gagyū (reclining ox), which is considered the origin of Toyama dolls. Before the war, there were several manufacturers, but they successively closed down or changed businesses, and it seems that Toyama clay dolls were produced only by the Watanabe family for a long time. After the death of the third generation, Nobuhide, the "Toyama Ningyo Denshōkai" (Toyama Doll Tradition Association) currently carries on the tradition of Toyama clay dolls. It seems that many "kaemono" rituals are held at shrines in this region, and various "kaemono" toys were produced. ---- I have many other items for sale, so if you request a combined shipment, you can save on shipping. Please consider it. #ToyamaClayDolls #ClayDolls #ToriiGate #GoodLuckCharm