飛べ蛙 (Tobe Kaeru) This is a folk toy from the former Tobe Village in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. It is a clay frog, biscuit-fired (unglazed) and painted. The tradition is said to have started when roof tile craftsmen (kawara shokunin) made frog figurines out of clay and sold them as a souvenir on the Tokaido road along the approach to Kasadera Kannon Temple.
The origin of this toy is based on an old folktale: A violent feudal lord, known for executing anything that crossed his path during outings, was once captivated by the quickness of a frog that darted in front of him—so much so that he couldn’t bring himself to kill it. Because the frog “escaped death,” the toy came to symbolize the wish for “narrowly escaping danger and returning home safely”.