HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto -- A four-meter-long monument modeled after a local toy called kijiuma has been returned to its owner 11 days after it was washed away during record heavy rains in Kyushu in July.
The kijiuma, originally placed on the terrace of a restaurant in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, was found 40 kilometers away in Yatsushiro Port after the Kuma River flooded. The miraculous return of the partially damaged kijiuma has encouraged local residents to get their lives back on track.
Kijiuma is a traditional knickknack from the Hitoyoshi and Kuma areas of Kumamoto Prefecture and is used as a good luck charm to wish for the healthy growth of children. The toy is said to have originated in the Heike family, who began making them to commemorate their past glory of establishing Japan's first samurai government in the 12th century. After being defeated in a historical battle by the Genji family in Dannoura, now in Yamaguchi Prefecture, some members from the Heike family allegedly settled in Kyushu.
The main body of the bright red and yellow toy with wheels on it is modeled after a wild pheasant. The washed away kijiuma was a humongous version belonging to Setsu Honda, 65, the owner of local Hitoyoshi restaurant Himawari-Tei. Made by a friend in 2003 from a 300-year-old cedar tree, the kijiuma was placed on the restaurant's terrace overlooking the Kuma River and surrounding area.
On July 4, the restaurant was flooded to a height of 1.5 meters above the floor leaving mounds of mud strewn throughout the restaurant. The giant kijiuma -- nowhere to be found.
"I felt like I had lost my guardian angel," Honda said.
After the heavy rain disaster, Honda participated in relief efforts for the local victims. On July 15, 11 days later, the kijiuma was found adrift at the port of Yatsushiro where the Kuma River flows into the sea. One of the cooperators who was assisting in the efforts happened to be the owner of a fish shop in Yatsushiro, who recalled that a business card provided by Honda had a picture of a giant kijiuma attached.
With the owner identified, the 4-meter-long Kijiuma was returned to the Hitoyoshi restaurant the next day.
The local people welcomed its return with applause and said that it must have returned to see Hitoyoshi recover.
The kijiuma has been dubbed "Dokonjo Kijima" (Moxie Kijiuma) and is once again watching from the restaurant's terrace as the people below work to clear the mud and debris lining their city streets.
Moxie Kijiuma is now completely covered in scratches and the wheels are nowhere to be seen, but Honda's friends plan to fix it up in the near future.
No timetable has been set for the reopening of Himawari-Tei, but Honda said, "I want to cherish the kijiuma as a symbol of Hitoyoshi on the road to recovery."
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