Papier-mâché dog

犬張子 inu hariko

A papier-mâché dog toy given at births and shrine visits; dogs give birth easily and many pups at once, so it is a charm for safe childbirth and a healthy child.

Muromachi-period birthing-room charms; papier-mâché standing dog Edo period

It is thought to descend from Heian-period guardian dogs (komainu) used at court to ward off disaster. In the Muromachi period, upper-class households placed papier-mâché otogi-inu or inubako in birthing rooms: paired boxes with an infant's face on a dog's body. In early Edo a pair was part of a bride's trousseau. The standing papier-mâché dog was then made in Edo and around the country, because dogs were thought to give birth easily.

Still given for safe childbirth and at a baby's first shrine visit (miyamairi).