The Animal Guards

Hi, I’m Shiho.

I was taking a walk the other day and my eyes met theirs. Just then, I felt I had to introduce their uniqueness. I am sure you have all seen these before. Here they are.

The monkey guards

Barricades in the shape of monkeys are used at construction sites. They are called animal guards. Not only do they brighten up the atmosphere of the city, they also protect us from danger. When you think of barricades, the first thing that comes to mind is something like this.

General barricade

Of course, there are many barricades like this that may be used, but there are also many animal guards that I mentioned before. Today I will write about such character barricades.

Barricades were born in Asahikawa

Animal guards were born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. When a security equipment company from Miyagi Prefecture went there, they wanted to install something animal-inspired on the road to Asahiyama Zoo, so they created the "monkey guard" in the first photo shown. In addition to monkeys, there are of course other animals such as frogs and deer, as well as barricades of famous characters. And now those barricades are used all over Japan.

Deer guards

Frog guard

Barricades in Sapporo

I would like to introduce three barricades I found. 

First, I found one with a character called MUKKU who is a red yeti from a children's program. He is five years old and has a friend named GACHAPIN. These were used at a construction site near my house. They are cute and have their right hand raised and the propeller on their head.

MUKKU guards

GACHAPIN and MUKKU

Next, fox guards were found near Sapporo Station. They have cute round eyes and arrows at their feet, people can follow its directions. You look at closely, you will see a leaf on its forehead. Perhaps these are foxes that can transform into another creature...

Fox guards

The last is a kappa, which is an imaginary creature appearing in traditional Japanese folklore. They have a green body, a plate on their heads, and shell like turtle on their back. These barricade characters are also all green and have a plate on their heads. I knew that animals and famous characters were used, but this was the first time I had seen imaginary animals used.

Kappa guards

Imaginary creature “Kappa”

As can be seen from all the images they always work in groups. When I see a lot of the same faces, I cannot help laughing. They reduce the scary atmosphere at a construction site.

Their achievements

I expect them to be more effective at keeping us safe than ordinary barricades. Although it is dangerous to approach them because of their cuteness, their smiling faces may soothe you even if the noise caused by construction is unpleasant. A company in Miyagi prefecture also made key rings with these characters in response to customer requests to have them at home. Proceeds from the sales help to support the reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas.

A key ring of elephant guard

Today they are still smiling and probably somewhere protecting us from danger.

Thank you for reading!