They are the second party that has brought with them a traditional toy from the Fukushima region: the first gift was an Akabeko (red ox) and today's was a very handsome black Miharu-koma (horse).I love the stories behind these toys which are not just given as playthings but also as a talisman against misfortune and (if cared for) source of good luck. The first is obviously tao in origin but the latter more confucian and a method of teaching children to care for their worldly goods.
I admire the simplicity of their toys and as I look at these two with their unblemished lacquer and paintwork, my mind is cast back to the exhibition I saw last year that had on display a small collection of very simple wooden dolls that had been found in the rubble left behind by the tsunami waters. In their utter simplicity there was a discernible poverty that told much of the dolls' creator and child or children who must have loved them as only a child can.
Buddhism attaches great importance to the wealth that is to be found in worldly poverty and 'original mind'. In a simple child's toy there is a reminder that we can find enlightenment by adopting a child's mind.
