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Kuroshio-kun is the official mascot of Kochi Prefecture. The character was designed by a woman from Aichi Prefecture, and made its début in 2002 for the Yosakoi Festival held annually during the summer in Kochi. It then became known as the official mascot of the prefecture.

The character was so popular that on the day it was introduced it sold around 3,000 stuffed toys designed as Kuroshio-kun. The Kuroshio toys sold out on the morning of the first day of the festival!

Kuroshio-kun’s motif is the sea of the Kuroshio current which flows off Tosa Bay, but the character is often mistaken for a whale. Nonetheless, the Kochi mascot was and is a very popular figure within the prefecture!!