These are the twelve animals signs represented in the Oriental Zodiac. These are handmade in the Sendai region of Japan, by a particular craftsman and his family. Their bobbing heads and hand-painted faces give each its own individual personality. Similar to the Western Zodiac, the Chinese and Japanese believe that the personality of every person is determined by the animal sign for the year they were born in. Each animal sign has both good and bad characteristics, and many books have been written about each sign in great detail. (One of the best books on the subject is called "The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes", by Theodora Lau.) To celebrate the New Year, Japanese people decorate their homes with the animal represented by that particular year.
