Sanomaru

Sanomaru さのまる
Location	Japan Sano, Tochigi Pref.
Category	Municipal mascot
Motif	Dog/Samurai
Design	あた。
Year introduced	2011
Born	(2011-02-25)February 25, 2011
Gender	Male
Official Site	Official website

Sanomaru (Japanese: さのまる) is the municipal mascot of Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The character, introduced in 2011, was the champion of the 2013 Yuru-chara Grand Prix (ゆるキャラグランプリ [jp])

Overview

To promote the city of Sano, he appears as a samurai wearing Sano's specialty products and lives in Sano's castle town. The hat is made of a Sano ramen bowl, and instead of the traditional pattern, the design features "SANO" spelled in roman characters. His bangs are made of Sano ramen's medium-thick curly noodles, parted down the middle. His sword is Sano City's specialty fried potato.

He has a mischievous and greedy personality and hobbies include enjoying Sano's local cuisine.

History

In 2011 the design and name of Sano City's mascot, an initiative started by the city government, was put to public consultation. In August, the character was unveiled at the Sano Shugo Festival. Sanomaru would rank 20th at the 2011 Yuru-chara Grand Prix, collecting 43,081 votes.

Yuru-chara Grand Prix Rankings

Caption text

Year	Votes	Rank	Ref
2011	43,081	20
2012	163,258	4
2013	1,204,255	1

Note: Winners no longer compete

External links

Official website