Akabeko Chopsticks and Chopstick Rest

If you cook Japanese food regularly, of course you have a pair of chopsticks (probably more than one pair). But you can never have too many, as the great variety of them available in Japan amply demonstrate. No matter how many you have, you won't be able to say no to the Akabeko Chopsticks and Chopstick Rest, especially if you're a fan of the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan. Because these chopsticks and rest feature one of the area's most enduring symbols: the akabeko cow!

Usually made of papier-mâché and with a bobbing head, the akabeko comes from the Aizu region in the west part of Fukushima Prefecture and has been both a toy and a good health amulet for centuries because, allegedly, it could ward off smallpox. The Akabeko Chopsticks and Chopstick Rest is a beautiful 4 x 2.2 cm (1.6 x 0.9") miniature of the folk toy as a rest for the chopsticks, available in red or black. The little cow is red, true to its name (akabeko literally means red cow) and the Aizu tradition!

Specs and Features:

• Colors: red, black
• Pair of chopsticks and rest
• Inspired by Fukushima folk toy
• Chopsticks length (red): approx. 21 cm (8.3")
• Chopsticks length (black): approx. 23 cm (9")
• Chopsticks rest dimensions: 4 x 2.2 cm (1.6 x 0.9")