Sakae Village, located at the northernmost tip of Nagano Prefecture on the border of Niigata Prefecture, has some of the heaviest snowfalls in Japan. When rice cultivation began in the village during the Meiji period, people began making Bobotsugura (babysitting toys) from rice straw in the winter. In the early Showa period, small Nekotsugura (cat toys) were also created and used in many homes. Dried rice straw is cut into strips, beaten to soften it, and then made into forms using traditional braiding techniques such as braiding the bottom, the body, and the edges.