Origin : Japan
Made of : porcelain - potery
Classification : creatures / people
Maker : ?
About "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter / Princess Kaguya" (竹取物語 -Taketori Monogatari / かぐや姫 - Kaguya Hime) :
'Taketori Mogogatri' or 'Kaguya Hime' is a Japanese fairy tale of the 10th century. It is one of the first story ever to consider the moon as inhabited.
An old bamboo cutter discovers inside a magic shining bamboo a tiny baby girl. The old man and his wife rise up up the girl and are soon rich as in each bamboo they cut lies some gold. Several princes and even the Emperor propose to marry the beautiful girl, but she manages to decline the offers one way or another. Fascinated and sad each time she looks at the moon, she reveals to her parents that she comes from this far away planet and must soon return. Finally she goes back to the moon leaving her parents and the Emperor desperate.
About "bamboo" (take - 竹) :
Bamboo is a quick growing evergreen grass that has been used in Japan for construction and various arts and crafts for many centuries.
Even the strongest tree can brake against strong winds. The bamboo bends, it flexes, nearly touches the ground, but never breaks. Bamboos symbolize the idea that a man must keep his integrity whatever happens to him.
In case of earthquake, bamboo forests are considered as a safe place to find shelter. The interlaced bamboo roots hold the ground and there is no risk of being crashed by a tree.