Ben Zabulis
Red bull
My old and trusty 'kanji' dictionary supports a very handsome papier-mâché red bull (akabeko), with nodding-head facility - the must-have souvenir from Fukushima Prefecture, this one from Aizu-Wakamatsu. Folklore relates that during construction of a local temple, circa 17thC, only could a single red bovine tolerate the strenuous workload of shifting heavy timber. With temple complete, the creature baulked at leaving site; needless to say, growing in eminence, replicas were inevitably fashioned. During a smallpox epidemic years later, those children possessing such a replica reportedly escaped infection; hence the red bull's manifestation as a symbol of health and happiness. Though why its head should nod, I never discovered.
Red bull
My old and trusty 'kanji' dictionary supports a very handsome papier-mâché red bull (akabeko), with nodding-head facility - the must-have souvenir from Fukushima Prefecture, this one from Aizu-Wakamatsu. Folklore relates that during construction of a local temple, circa 17thC, only could a single red bovine tolerate the strenuous workload of shifting heavy timber. With temple complete, the creature baulked at leaving site; needless to say, growing in eminence, replicas were inevitably fashioned. During a smallpox epidemic years later, those children possessing such a replica reportedly escaped infection; hence the red bull's manifestation as a symbol of health and happiness. Though why its head should nod, I never discovered.