A majestic wood-carved toy, skillfully shaped from a single blade

The"OtakaPoppo"featuresboldlylayeredwings,finelycarvedforastrikingandmajesticappearanceThe"SasanoIttobori"techniquehasbeenpreservedforover1,000yearsintheSasanodistrict,locatedsouthoftheYonezawacitycenterTheterm"Poppo"comesfromtheAinulanguage,meaning"toy,"anditissaidthattherootsofSasanoIttoborilieinAinucarvingtechniquesItbeganwhenthefeudallordofYonezawadomain,UesugiYozan,encouragedlocalfarmerstocreatecraftsasawinterjobIthaslongbeencherishedasaluckycharmforprotectionandprosperity

SasanoIttoboriisknownforitsfinelycarved,thinwingsSincethewoodiscarvedfromonepieceofwoodbypressingandshavingwithoutseparatingitfromtheoriginalpiece,softandflexiblewoodslikeKoshiaburaandJapanesepagodatreesareusedCarvedusingaspecialbladecalled"Sarukiri,"thiswoodcraftisuniquelymadewithasingletool,atechniquethatisunparalleledinJapanInadditiontothe"OtakaPoppo,"othertoyslike"Owls,""LongtailRoosters,"and"Chickens"showcasetheskilledcraftsmanshipandrusticcharmofthisfolkart