Traditionally crafted in the small city of Takayama, these dolls are hand-painted using woodblocks. The color is fixed to the raw cotton at high temperature and each doll is then filled in with rice hulls and hand-sewn, so that every one of them is genuinely unique. This doll is part of the Japanese zodiac serie and depicts a tiger, the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in Japanese zodiac: its natural element is wood, thus, it is commonly associated with strength and flexibility, as with bamboo. It is also associated with qualities of warmth, generosity, co-operation and idealism.