Akabeko (赤べこ Akabeko, red cow) is a traditional toy from the Aizu region of Japan. The toy is made from two pieces of papier-mâché-covered wood, shaped and painted to look like a red cow
or ox.
When the toy is moved, the head bobs up and down and side to
side.
Aizu legend claims that the toys are based on a real cow that lived in the 9th century and showed its devotion to Buddha
by willing its soul away or by refusing to leave the site of a temple
it had helped to construct. The earliest akabeko toys were created in
the late 16th or early 17th century. Over time, people came to believe
that the toys could ward off smallpox and other illnesses. Akabeko has become one of Fukushima Prefecture's most famous crafts and a symbol of the Aizu region.
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