This Osaki figurine depicts a shamisen player, the traditional Japanese instrument used for accompaniment during Kabuki and Bunraku theater performances, wearing an elegant blue kimono. 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.