This Osaki figurine depicts Utsubozaru, the monkey protagonist of one of the most famous Kyogen of Japanese theater, which tells the story of a daimyō who, after having threatened to cut the skin of the monkey to use it to make his quiver, spares her life moved by his extraordinary abilities. A role often entrusted to children and which has therefore enjoyed enormous success for centuries. In addition to this, the monkey is also one of the signs of the zodiac, a symbol of sociability, intellectual vivacity and optimism. 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.