12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: Dance Flutes The slight pressure around the

The slight pressure around the forehead helps to improve concentration and speed of thought

One of the most recognizable Japanese masks

Kaiho was renowned for his skill with India ink

Tomokazu Kurashima was born and raised in Kyoto

12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: Dance Flutes The slight pressure around theA well known folk artist in Japan, Obata Makoto has been making papier mche animals for 25 years. Each animal is individually hand fashioned and painted. The original form is made of clay, from which a papier mch model is produced. Then each animal is hand painted. Many of the 12 animals have the Chinese character for "Good Luck" painted on them (see our images below). Every animal has a "bobbing" head, which is attached with a fine wire. Each piece