For his daughter's seventh birthday, Tomoaki Ichikawa carved a cat on her head. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
For his daughter's eighth birthday, Tomoaki Ichikawa carved an ash tree, the origins of her name, on the sculpture. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
For his daughter's 11th birthday, Tomoaki Ichikawa sculpted an amabie, a Japanese folklore symbol, as a hat. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
For her ninth birthday, Tomoaki Ichikawa's daughter wanted her sculpture to resemble a princess. He said this was around the time the movie "Frozen" was released in Japan. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
Tomoaki Ichikawa draws what the figure will look like on a block of wood before carving. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
Then, he begins to whittle the block down, carving out each detail. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
The sculpture Tomoaki Ichikawa made for his daughter's fifth birthday. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
For the 10th sculpture, Tomoaki Ichikawa carved their new pet cat, Totan, on his daughter's head. This was the year Totan joined the family. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
A replica of the sculpture Tomoaki Ichikawa made for his daughter's first birthday. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
The sculpture for his daughter's 12th birthday this year. Photo: Courtesy of Tomoaki Ichikawa
