Akakoma Straw Horses

A folk handicraft from Jindaiji Temple, famous from a morning TV drama

Jindaiji Temple is located amidst a nostalgic Showa landscape of rolling rice fields. Akakoma, horse figures made of braided straw, originated here as a souvenir for the temple’s pilgrims, produced by farmers for supplemental income

First, the straw is threshed and stretched, then it is sorted in a painstaking process. The next day, the component parts are assembled without no adhesive whatsoever. “With fewer and fewer makers, this craft began to die out for a while, but my mother learned it from the last surviving maker and revived it,” says shop clerk Tomoko Ōsaki.

Akakoma appeared on The Wife of GeGeGe, a morning TV drama from NHK. They are protective charms, given to a family member or special person as a prayer that they make it through the day safely.

“Each one has a unique face. If one of them captures your fancy, I hope you’ll bring it home,” says Ōmae. Today, these folk handicrafts are only available at Ameya.