Good Luck Charms of Edo

“Illness-free and healthy life : The Prevention of disease in Children” 

Locally made red toys known as akamono (literally meaning “red stuff”) can be found throughout Japan. In Edo period, the color red was believed to have a power to protect against accidents and diseases, especially smallpox, a serious infectious disease caused by contagious virus. The red owl, which has been made in a way that it returns to an upright position every time it’s toppled over, contains a wish of the parents for their children to recover every time they fall ill.