Inch Boy Folktale Pin Cushion

This pincushion is contained in a luxurious Shikki, or Yamanaka lacquerware, bowl with a lid. It is made of wood and has multiple coats of lacquerware on it. The cushion is covered with a wave patterned fabric that represents the ocean. There are also 5 hand-formed pins with characters from the folktale, Issunboshi, or Inch Boy.  Dimensions: 1-3/4" x 1-3/4" (47 mm x 47 mm) Each pin cushion and set of pins comes boxed with an illustrated scroll with the folktale written in Japanese. It also includes a version of the folktale in English.  寸法師 "Issunbōshi" is about a boy who is a tiny boy as big as a thumb. Thus, the story is often called "Little One Inch" or "One-Inch Boy." The tale dates back at least to the Muromachi period (1392–1573). To this day, all over Japan, the story of Issunbōshi is famous. By the way, in English when we start folktale we say "Once upon a time...", and in Japanese people say "mukashi, mukashi..." which means "long long ago...". So, mukashi, mukashi..., there w