Anonyme, « Stone doll made from cases of Goera Larvae in Japan », Lunz am See, Braueria, n° 21, juin 1994.
In the later half of the Edo period (about 1700), many legends were based on the doll-like cases of the Genus Goera in Iwakuni District, Central Japan, One of the typical stories was :
A long, long times ago, a bridge was sometimes destroyed by the flooding of the Nishiki River. Once upon a time, when the bridge was newly build. A beautiful young girl was offred as a sacrifice to protect the bridge from big floods. After that time, the new bridge was not destroyed for a long time, The stone doll is a rebirth of the girl.
During 300 years, people in Iwakuni District have favoured the stone doll as amulets to protect themselves from acidents, disasters and evils. At the present time, the dolls are one of three ethnic toys made from natural objects in Japan.