2- Dogu

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaaxD8KF1Lgei7gdh2SyzrzV7USypRk5tGNEMeXQUbXj7/image.png)
Photo credit: www.ancient-origins.net

To date, 18,000 dogu, clay figurines of all shapes and sizes, have been unearthed in almost every corner of Japan. They tend to be between 2,000 and 10,000 years old, and while some look sinister, others look almost playful. What do they mean? Nobody knows for sure. Some say they were made as effigies of people in a way to transfer over illness or misfortune. Most of the figurines appear to be modeled as female, and have big eyes, small waists, and wide hips. They are considered by many to be representative of goddesses. Many have large abdomens associated with pregnancy.