Front view of the Maruichi Shigaraki ware Fukufuku tanuki figurine male, showing a round standing form with straw hat, pale robe tied at center, sake flask, and wide-eyed expressive face with bared teeth.

Maruichi Shigaraki Ware Fukufuku Tanuki Figurine Male

Maruichi Shigaraki Ware Fukufuku Tanuki Figurine Male

Name: Maruichi Shigaraki Ware Fukufuku Tanuki Figurine Male
Brand: Maruichi
SKU: mot080030101
Price: 79.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$79.00

The Fukufuku tanuki has stood at Japanese doorways and shop fronts for over a century, a figure so embedded in daily life that its presence reads as an invitation rather than a decoration. Fukufuku doubles the character for good fortune — not luck wished once, but luck wished in abundance. Giving one carries that intention directly: it is a standing wish left with someone, placed at their entrance or on their shelf, working quietly on their behalf. Maruichi produces this version in Shigaraki, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, working with the coarse iron-rich clay the region has fired since the medieval period. The form follows the tradition precisely: wide straw hat, a pale rounded belly, sake flask in one hand, leaves in the other. The expression — wide-eyed, teeth showing, caught somewhere between surprise and delight — is what gives it life. A new home, a new business, a new chapter: the Fukufuku tanuki has marked all of them.

Details

Size: W 5.1in x L 4.3in x H 4.5in / W 13cm x L 11cm x H 11.5cm
Material: Ceramic

Please note that the opening on the back allows trapped air to escape during the firing process, a standard technique in hollow ceramic pieces that prevents cracking.

Care & Use

Dust regularly with a soft cloth or dry brush to keep the surface clean
For light soiling, wipe with a soft sponge lightly dampened with water or lukewarm water
For heavier soiling, use a diluted mild detergent, then wipe thoroughly with a clean damp cloth to remove any residue
After cleaning, allow to dry fully; residual moisture can lead to mold or surface deterioration
Place on a stable, level surface to prevent tipping
If displaying outdoors, move to a sheltered location such as under eaves during winter; water retained inside the piece can freeze and cause cracking when temperatures drop below freezing
In humid environments, moss or algae may develop on the surface; remove periodically with a soft brush and gentle rinse with water

Check our tips for Care Information.

Maruichi Shigaraki Ware Fukufuku Tanuki Figurine Male

$79.00

Meet the Artisan

Maruichi

Maruichi sits directly beside Shigaraki Station, at the point where the town's ceramic tradition meets the people who come looking for it. The store sources its tanuki figurines from the kilns of the surrounding region, working within a production culture where maker and seller have historically occupied the same small geography. That proximity matters. In Shigaraki, the tanuki is not a souvenir category but a sustained craft form, made from the same clay and fired in the same kilns as the ware that has defined the town for centuries. The figurines Maruichi carries express the 8 attributes that give the form its cultural weight: the straw hat as protection against hardship, the wide eyes for clear judgment, the sake flask for virtue, the account book for trust, the large belly for calm deliberation, the money pouch for financial fortune, the tail for steadiness, and the face as the seat of good will. Placed at an entrance, the tanuki is understood to carry intention rather than decoration, and the Shigaraki makers who produce them treat the form accordingly. Maruichi's role is to keep that chain of meaning intact, from kiln to the hands of the people who will live with these objects.