Hariko No Tora, The Papier-Mâché Tiger

Added on by the ikebana shop.
 

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 
In the forests of the night; 
What immortal hand or eye, 
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

from The Tyger by William Blake, 1794.

Hariko no tora, the papier-mâché tiger, is a traditional Japanese craft.

In Japan, tigers are known for their bravery and also for having close-knit families. 

The papier-mâché tiger represents courage and family love.

The tigers are also there to help children grow strong and healthy.

Perhaps the more famous and interesting type of hariko no tora is the one with the bobbing head.  We have a big one in the shop to welcome you!

RAWR!  Don't be scared.  It doesn't bite.  :-)

We're not particularly big fans of GIFs but in this case, this GIF is probably appropriate to show you the bobbing head. :-)

Please visit the shop and pet our tigers!

If you are interested to learn about how the tigers are made, please visit this site.  It is in Japanese only but there are a lot of photos.  The paper they use is washi, Japanese paper.

 

All photos by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.