Traditional Good Luck Charm Chinkoro Sold in Niigata Pref.; Dolls Made of Rice Flour Said to Bring Good Fortune

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:48 JST, January 22, 2025

SANJO, Niigata — Shoppers flocked to a sales event for cute good-luck charms called chinkoro, dolls in the shapes of dogs, rabbits and other animals, on Jan. 5 at Teien no Sato Honai, a roadside station in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture.

Chinkoro are traditional crafts that have been handed down in the city of Tokamachi in the prefecture. They are believed to bring good fortune and are displayed in homes every year in mid-January during the koshogatsu (little New Year). They are made of rice flour, and it is said that the more cracks they bear as they dry, the better the luck they bring.

The venue has been selling chinkoro made by Shinobu Tasai, 45, a native of Tokamachi, every year around this time for about six years.

On Jan. 5, there was a lineup of 3- to 5-centimeter chinkoro colored in red, yellow and green. Before the sale started, there was a long line of customers waiting for numbered tickets, and the approximately 700 pieces prepared were sold out in about two hours.

“If you look closely, each one has a different expression and is very adorable,” said Yoko Yamagami, a 42-year-old homemaker from Niigata, as she bought chinkoro for the first time.