This is a woodblock print dog from the series of animals made by Shin Kogei of Hida-Takayama in Gifu, Japan. Shin Kogei were founded in Hida-Takayama in the snowy north of Gifu prefecture by a local artist, and their shop is a location to visit within the town. Hida-Takayama was an important castle settlement in the Middle Ages, and today has a fine tradition for wood craft. Shin Kogei use wood to make their printing blocks. Designs principally of animals that can be seen in Hida-Takayama, and are transferred to the woodblocks, before being hand dyed onto natural cotton. Each colour designates a different block used, showing the time spent on each. The animals are filled with natural casks and hand sewn. The dog here is a 'gomen ne inu' or in other words an apologising dog saying sorry for an unspecified misdeed. It is 11cm wide, and 4cm high.