Zodiac figure snake. The snake is the 6th cyclical figure in the Chinese zodiac ( 己, read mi in Japanese). The original packaging is labelled to indicate its origin from the city of Kashima in the Japanese prefecture of Saga-ken: It reads: のごみ人形 (Nogomi Ningyô). Compare the workshop name in the subject and the place of origin. The workshop has been producing painted clay figures on traditional regional historical themes since around 1946. (Siegmar Nahser, 2013).