Vintage wood carved amulet Gan-kake Ushi -wish granting red & black bulls,Japan

Description

This is perfect for the year of the Ox.
“Gan-kake ushi” is a folk toy and an amulet of Sasebo, Nagasaki. The amulets are made of cast metal or carved in wood.
This amulet is rumored to invite a good news. The bulls are depicted with letters spilling out of their harnesses – good news letters.
Condition: No damage of any kind. “The good news letters” have yellowed with age, being made of paper.
“In the Muromachi period, the lord of Sasebo, Matsuura went all the way to Kyoto to get a written certificate that he was the official Daimyo Lord of the Region.
But the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa did not grant him an audience for a long time. In one night Lord Matsuura saw a red bull in his dream, telling him his wish would soon come true. And indeed soon after that, he got his written certificate.”  (
Dr. Gabi Greve,
Daruma Museum Japan)