Izumo Province
The makers of the earliest "okiagari-kobōshi" likely modeled them after a Chinese toy called "Budaoweng" (不倒翁; "not-falling-down old man") that is similarly weighted. Okiagari-kobōshi has long been popular among Japanese children. It is mentioned in a 14th-century play called "Manju-Kui", and folklorist Lafcadio Hearn recorded a lullaby from Matsue in Izumo Province in the early 20th century that lists the doll as a gift for a young child: