Title:

泥鰌と田螺 (dojō to tanishi)

“loach and pond snail”

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This top depicts a loach and pond snail. These are freshwater aquatic animals, often found in ponds. Hiroi-sensei stated that these tops are meant to be good luck charms for protection against fires, since both are water creatures.

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Hiroi Michiaki:　This is… a pond snail and a loach.

Mrs. Hiroi: 　 Mm. Pond snails are in paddy fields.

HM: 　 It was a pond snail and a loach, or I have a feeling it might have been a horned turban snail and a loach…

MH:　 It’s a pond snail and a loach.

HM: 　 And, um, this is the shell of the pond snail in the paddy and then the loach. You put those together and it [becomes] a top, and this… it’s a charm for protection against fire– these creatures live in the water, so [it makes it so] fires won’t happen. [This] top is that kind of charm.