It’s very obvious that this is a woodcarving of an old man. But what does this symbolize? You might say it ‘s an artifact so it shows beauty; you might say it represents an old man because that’s the way it appears to be; you might say it’s a gift from others… There are lots of different answers. However, I think it symbolizes happiness. How so? According to the owner of the woodcarving shop, he said, in the old man’s left hand, which is behind him, he is holding the happiness. And even more interesting is that, he told me, the eyes are the expression of the woodcarving, so he only carves the eye part when he feels happy, so that every woodcarving will appears to be happy as well. In that area of Japan, people see this “old man” as a guardian angel that will protect them from bad things and give them happy lives. So I think it symbolize happiness.