Colorful papier-mâché created by Shirasagi Castle
It's a little early, but today we'd like to introduce a local toy representing next year's zodiac sign, the snake. This is a Himeji papier-mâché "Snake on a Mallet," which originated in the castle town around Himeji Castle. The castle town was home to many merchants, and produced a large amount of discarded washi paper, such as ledgers, which made it easy for papier-mâché crafts to develop, and this Himeji papier-mâché is one such example.
It was first made in the early Meiji period by Toyooka Naoshichi I, who was born into a family of painters for the Sakai family, the lords of Himeji Castle. The techniques were then passed on to his relatives, the Matsuo family, who were swordsmiths, and the fifth generation, Matsuo Tetsu, is currently making them.
A distinctive feature of Himeji Hariko is that it uses tile molds instead of wooden ones. Many of them are also vibrantly colored. There are over 80 types of masks, lion heads, daruma dolls, tigers with bobbing heads, and zodiac animals, among others. This small mallet-riding snake is a cute toy with a unique expression and a vibrant green color.
