A figurine of Osaki, depicting a Matsugoro, the small amphibian typical of Okinawa, which has always been one of the favorite mascots of the Japanese. Its name should derive from the Japanese rite of Warabi Hakada Matsuri, during which adults and children ask the kami for luck and abundant harvests with rituals that take place in the mud of the rice fields. Hence the name Matsugoro or mud fish. In addition to being a figurine, it is also a whistle, with a soft timbre, like the low notes of an ocarina. It is handcrafted by Masahiro Takayanagi, the only craftsman who carries on the tradition of Osaki figurines, one of the symbols of Saga Prefecture, in whose area they have been produced since the 13th century, when the Mongol invaders who settled permanently in Japan were used to use the scraps of pottery to make whistles and figurines, as was the tradition in Mongolia. Being handmade, they are all slightly different and some imperfections are possible.
