By Tatsiana Coquerel

What is a doll? For most of us, it represents a toy, but the human form has been replicated for other purposes for as long as people have been living on the earth. Dolls have a long history and they represent different cultural platforms around the world. They have been collected by their admirers, they can be found in different museums, private collections and just at homes of ordinary people. In some countries, dolls are closely associated with rituals and religion. In Japan, a doll is not just a child’s toy. It is a God, a hero, an emperor, an amulet. It can be a religious sculpture, a decorative statuette, a treasured family heirloom, a souvenir and an art object. A Japanese Doll has many functions: it is a healer of illnesses, a giver of health, a granter of wishes, it will make you rich, it is a living national treasure and folkcraft artefact very often made by anonymous artists. They are everything other than a plaything, standing separately from the ones that are made for the masses. Japanese dolls can be considered as ethnic copies of the people from the past in folk costumes with traditional objects in their hands. The use of traditional images and deep folk roots create an expressive world for viewers and admirers of these dolls. 

Throughout the whole cultural history of Japan, the doll motif is weaved like a silk thread into it. The material culture of these dolls embraced all aspects of Japanese life serving different purposes in culture, religious traditions and education. My passion and desire to investigate the world of dolls and how they are made in different countries led me to the National Museum of Ireland, where there is a big collection of dolls. Among them, there are two Japanese Dolls: Wooden figures in the form of Emperor and Empress. They belong to the Albert Bender Collection (Fig. 1) and represent Dairi-bina dolls for the girls’ festival in Japan. These dolls are six inches high and made from wood, carved and painted. The Emperor figure is in a ceremonial robe and head accessory. The Empress is also in a ceremonial dress, head accessory is missing. These dolls were made during the Edo period (1603-1868) by the artist Sadaichi Tanaka.

Japanese dolls hina ningyo have been a very popular traditional worldwide known craft. The tradition of doll making in Japan goes back in time to around 300 years ago. Hina ningyo dolls go far beyond our definition of dolls. Frederick Starr (1858-1933), the noted University of Chicago anthropologist, in addressing the members of the Atlantic Society of Japan in 1926 on the subject of hina ningyo dolls said, “Suffice it to say that anyone who thinks of the doll’s festival as a play, or a display, for the amusement of little girls, is wide of the mark. It is a serious ceremonial, the significance of which deserves recognition” (Scott Pate, 2008, p.54). 

Japan’s ningyo culture was established during the Edo period (1603-1868), when dolls emerged into big businesses, souvenir items and luxurious gifts. Dolls of various forms were produced and sold throughout Japan. As the nation prospered economically, so did the ningyo market. The three most important markets of these dolls were found in three cities: Edo (Tokyo), Kyoto and Osaka. These cities held the largest concentrations of doll shops in the country. These shops sold to locals, visiting tourists of all classes and were also shipping dolls to different regions in Japan. Based on the reliable statistics of the Japanese economy, there were doll exports and imports through the port of Osaka. In the 1930s, ningyo became recognized as an art, and an independently Japanese and highly diverse culture of ningyo dolls was established. 

  The history of many ningyo forms is hidden in their mystery. Like most of the ningyo dolls, they were made for personal amusement for the elite class, but over the centuries their adorable qualities attracted a wider audience. At the present, the castle town of Iwatsuki is the largest producer of dolls in Japan and the major center of doll making craft. The doll makers of Iwatsuki are highly respected. They’ve been carrying the traditional craft of making dolls since the 1700s. The main reason for the location of this craft during the Edo period in Iwatsuki was the access to a very special wood from the paulownia trees that was excellent for woodcarving. Since then, it has become a center of traditional doll making craft in Japan. It is very common for grandparents to buy a set of hina dolls for new granddaughters, and the shops in Iwatsuki are very popular in the months before the Hinamatsuri holiday (also called Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day). This is a religious holiday in Japan, which is celebrated on the 3rd of March each year. Japanese people believe that Hina dolls bring happiness and prosperity to their families. They cherish these dolls with grace and warmth in their hearts. At the present, Iwatsuki takes great pride in its status as Japan’s largest producer of traditional dolls (Fig. 2 above, Fig. 3-6 at the bottom of the page).

It takes more than ten artisans to make a doll, where each artisan is responsible for different stages of the process creating the head of the doll, hands, arms, and little accessories to go with a doll. In the era of industrialization, when toys are mass-produced, this is such a remarkable example of a truly handmade craft. If you are interested to know more about Iwatsuki doll making craft, visit the Iwatsuki Ningyo Museum, located in Saitama Prefecture, which is Japan’s largest producer of ningyo dolls. The main purpose of the museum is to provide an overview of the beauty and history of ningyo in connection to Japanese culture.

There is a common saying that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The essential beauty of art objects never changes, but how this beauty is interpreted frequently does. Japanese dolls are a great example of subjective changes in perceiving beauty and value, and thus, evolved into a very popular collecting activity. The best collections of Japanese dolls belong to Japanese museums and academic communities. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of the private collectors, the art of Japanese dolls was preserved and continued to evolve.  Alan Scott Pate is a leading expert on Japanese Dolls in the US. He specializes in religious and figural art of Japan from the Edo period and earlier. Pate has curated exhibitions, lectured on Japanese dolls and has been published widely in journals focusing on Japanese antiques. Thanks to his passion and shared knowledge about Japanese dolls of different forms, the art of Hina Dolls attracts more attention from the public, collectors, curators of the museums and contemporary doll artists. Read more about Pate and curated collections here: https://www.antiquejapanesedolls.com/

Since times of antiquity, there has been a strong belief that Japanese dolls function as a wish for the happiness of children at the time of their birth. Now, at the hands of many contemporary skilled craftsmen, Japanese dolls act as kind guardian spirits, who watch over Japanese people and protect them in their journey through life. They comfort them in times of sadness, give them courage in times of loneliness, and share their joy in times of happiness. A doll given as a blessing for the happiness and prosperity of a child will embody the sincerity of the giver’s wish, and help the child to grow up happy and healthy. 

Very often when we mention the definition “doll” to describe artistic work, it brings negative association. The word “doll” indicates certain expectations. Some artists prefer to call their work creation or figurative sculpture. Whether described as dolls or as mixed-media decorative sculptures, each piece of an artwork opens a dialogue between the artist and the viewer. Yuki Atae is one of the most highly recognized contemporary doll artists in Japan. His delicate and nostalgic art dolls have gained popularity worldwide. He mainly portrays everyday moments in ordinary people’s lives with realism, humor and warmth (Fig. 6-7 left). Yuki Atae explained why he is creating dolls: “I thought this is the only thing I should do. I didn’t care whether I could make a living by it or not.'' The work of the artist you can admire at the Kawaguchiko Muse Museum, which together with Yoyukikan are small museums located in a corner of Yagizaki Park on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Opened in June, 1993 and named after the Goddess of Greek mythological art, the museum displays Yuki Atae’s doll works. You can visit an exhibition here or DollCafe or simply marvel at Mt. Fuji from the muse garden facing Lake Kawaguchiko. People that highly admire dolls by Yuki Atae mention that his work brings back memories about childhood, their families and Japanese traditions. With his miniature dolls, he reminds them about the tenderness that people have lost nowadays. This is an example of how a doll can speak to us about ourselves and our conditions as humans. 

Dolls connect to people spiritually. We should never forget it or ignore it. Dolls make us feel more alive in their presence. This is why we cherish them. Perhaps one day, hundreds of thousands of years from now, archeologists will extract ancient artifacts from the 21st century in the buried remains of our cities. Among the ruins they may discover an exquisite doll with delicate features. They may even find several of these lost, crafted remnants across different continents around the world. Charmed by their beauty, they will marvel at the people who created, owned and loved them and the civilization that left them behind.

References / Places to visit in Japan:

Iwatsuki - The Town of Japanese Dolls:

https://www.japankuru.com/en/culture/e2251.html

Iwatsuki Ningyo Museum:

https://ningyo-muse.jp/modules/info/index.php?action=PageView&page_id=13

KAWAGUCHIKO MUSE MUSEUM:

http://www.fkchannel.jp/muse/facility/

Yuki Atae Dolls:

https://atae-yuki.com/

SCOTT PATE, A., (2008) Japanese Dolls. The fascinating world of Ningyo. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing, 2008