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Japanese Traditional Vintage and Antique Dolls
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Japanese traditional dolls are known
by the name of 'ningyo' in Japan, which literally
means 'human shape'. Dolls have been produced since
the very early days of Japanese culture and they played
an important roll in Japan, at festivals, as talisman, or
just as a toy.
There are various types of Japanese dolls,
some representing children, some the imperial court,
samurai warriors and
heroes, some Kabuki
and Noh theatre characters,
geisha and oiran courtesans and also people of the daily
life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and
are still made today.
There are exist various types of traditional dolls
in Japan. During centuries a great variety of forms developed,
from dolls simply made out of paper by the children themselves
to valuably kimono dressed and wonderfully molded unique
objects, made by craftsmen and ordered by rich citizens
and noblemen for the girls' and boys' festivals.
Already for the birth of a child dolls, as
Kimekomi and Ichimatsu,
were given as a present from the relatives.
Kimekomi 'means "tuck in" in Japanese and
refers to a method of making dolls. The ancestors of Kimekomi
dolls are the Kamo ("willow-wood") dolls,
small dolls carved of willow and decorated with cloth scraps.
Kimekomi dolls start with a carved and/or molded
base of wood, wood compo, or paulownia sawdust mixed
with glue. A design of different patterned cloth made of
silk brocade with traditional Japanese design scraps is
planned out, and the base is grooved so that the edges of
the cloth can be hidden in the grooves. The cloth is glued
on and the edges tucked in. The head and hands (if any)
of the doll are usually finished with gofun (crashed
oyster shell), doll's face covered in a highly burnished
gofun and hand-painted, the hair may be a part
of the molded head or be a separate wig. These lovely dolls
have become a very popular Japanese craft.
During the Tokugawa period travelers took
Gosho-Ningyo with
them as a talisman, and Kokeshi dolls as souvenirs
from hot-spring resorts of Tohoku region.
The Gosho dolls
are one of noble descent, and it represent a uniquely Japanese
form. In most examples, clothing is limited to a strict
minimum and is either painted or pasted on. By tradition,
they represent chubby, almost naked little boys with large
heads, round bodies and brilliant white skin. They generally
show an originality and character which places them in a
special category of Japanese dolls.
The Gosho was created as a presentation doll and
was not meant to be a plaything. Although originally the
privilege of the aristocracy, Gosho dolls gradually
became widely popular. In Japan these dolls are considered
to be a classic art form and are appreciated as such.
Japanese traditional dolls
on our site are presented wide array of traditional
techniques, each with distinctive characteristics. You can
see antique samurai
dolls fully armored, and beautifully rendered
Geisha dolls,
Oiran Doll or
Maiko (apprentice geisha)
Doll, Noh Theatre
Mask doll and
Kabuki doll on
dance position, graceful
Hakata clay figurines and other items of Japanese
art.
Today all over the world antique dolls, including Japanese
dolls as well, belong to the most sought after collectors'
object.
Japanese Hakata figurines
are the best known craft items from Fukuoka Prefecture,
which lies in the north of the island of Kyushu. The origin
of this local specialty goes back to around 1586-1608. In
that year the feudal lord of Fukuoka, Nagamasa KURODA,
was having a new castle built. One day he noticed one of
the workmen making dolls from the clay used for the palace's
tile roof. The workmanship was so superb that the ruler
employed the craftsman to make dolls and ornaments for the
castle. Sohichi, the doll maker, passed his secrets
down through his family and the sons were figurine makers
for four generations. As a youth, however, the fifth
Sohichi revealed a weakness for "sake". This, plus lack
of patience for detailed work, made his father reluctant
to put the family's reputation in his hands. The professional
secrets were given to the doll maker's daughter who passed
them on to her son, the sixth Sohichi. This man,
too, was a heavy drinker, but for all of that he was skilled
craftsman. Soon after the revolutionary war in 1858, he
died without passing his trade secrets to his next generation.
About eleven years later, a group of artists pooled their
talents to revive the art of making pottery dolls. They
developed a highly finished substitute, which in 1885, was
Exhibited at the national exhibition representing the arts
of Hakata. Originally called the Sohichi-yaki (Sohichi Pottery),
it gradually became known as the Hakata doll after
the place of its birth.
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Main Directions: Japanese traditional
doll, Hakata clay figurine, Japanese ceramic doll, japanese clay
doll, japanese kimono doll, Japanese kimono, Noh theatre doll, Noh
mask, Japanese Kabuki doll, silk kimono, kimono japonais, japanese
geisha doll, antique japanese doll, maiko doll, samurai warrior
doll, Japanese antique and vintage doll, japanese dolls collection,
japanese art, japanese traditional craft
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