KOKA, Shiga -- Pottery tiger production has hit its peak at a ceramics maker in this western Japan city, ahead of 2022's Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

       The Shigaraki-ware ceramic tigers made by Meizan-togyo Co. are a bit rough to the touch, all the better to feel the warmth of the clay and convey the impression of the tiger's fur. Each of the decorative tigers is made by hand, and the company can turn out 30 to 40 of them a day. The company will have delivered about 2,000 of them by New Year's Eve.

       The tigers can be purchased at the Meizan-togyo online shop or at the company's store in Koka, Shiga Prefecture. A set of one big tiger and one small tiger costs 11,000 yen (about $97).

       Ninth-generation Meizan-togyo owner Shinya Ishino, 43, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I hope people face the New Year feeling the strength of a tiger."

       (Japanese original by Takao Kitamura, Osaka Photo Group)

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