Handcrafts: Akabeko, Aizu's red cows

A post on handcrafts this time. One of the folk handcrafts to come out of the Aizu region (Fukushima prefecture) is the akabeko, pictured at left. "Beko," in the local dialect, means "ox," and that's just what this is: a little red toy ox with a bobbing head. But what is the origin of this simple toy? What place does it have in its original region today?

For more on the red ox of Aizu, read on!