Woodblock Print Stuffed Bird - Northern Nutcracker

Woodblock Print Stuffed Bird - Northern NutcrackerThe rustic and charming northern nutcracker (hoshigarasu) is printed on cotton using a woodblock and stuffed with rice husks. The rice husks give the perfect amount of volume and firmness to bring the expertly shaped and printed creature to life. The bird gets its Japanese name from the small white dots on the body that resemble stars in the night sky (hoshi means stars in Japanese). The stuffed bird is decorated with star motifs on its belly. A red

This type of spoon is widely used in Asia

Kishu is an old name for Wakayama prefecture where Mount Kōya is situated

Aioi is the braiding technique used for the loop

aperture of turban shells

These sharpeners pack all the elements that define the best Japanese manufacturing practices: attention to detail

vividly bringing it to life

Kiri naturally has a hollow center: the small holes in the trivet are natural and the large ones are made by the artisan

On the bottom is a sticker with the maker's name in Japanese

yet have lots of character

the cut sides are left unhemmed

Kuniyoshi perfectly captures the playful cats in various actions

A red tag on the string says ruri on one side and "hand printed woodblock by Shinkougei" on the other