Description

History

During the Edo period, the spread of Hina Matsuri helped stimulate the development of doll culture throughout the region that includes present-day Saitama Prefecture.

Historical evidence indicates that doll production was already taking place in Iwatsuki by the late Edo period. By the closing years of the shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji period, doll makers and merchants were active in the area, laying the foundations for a local industry.

In the early Meiji period, techniques used by craftspeople who made seasonal dolls during agricultural off-seasons are said to have merged with doll-making skills practiced by former samurai as a form of supplementary work. This contributed to the full-scale production of hina and other seasonal dolls in Iwatsuki.

Production of Boys’ Festival dolls and related forms expanded further during the Meiji period, and Iwatsuki developed into an important supplier of traditional dolls, particularly for markets in the Kanto region.

The industry continued to grow through the Taisho and Showa periods. After World War II, production expanded to include a wider range of forms, such as genre dolls and kimekomi dolls. During Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, large numbers of workshops and wholesalers operated in Iwatsuki, establishing it as one of the country’s leading doll-making centers.

On March 9, 2007, Iwatsuki Ningyo was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Today, the specialized skills of head making, facial painting, hair setting, body construction, dressing, accessory making, and final assembly continue to be passed down in Iwatsuki, preserving the district’s identity as one of Japan’s best-known centers of ningyo culture.

Production Process

1. Step 1: Making the Head Base
   Iwatsuki Ningyo heads are traditionally made either as carved wooden heads or as toso heads.
   
   For carved wooden heads, woods such as paulownia, hinoki cypress, and magnolia are roughly carved and then carefully refined to shape the facial outline, nose, mouth, and other features.
   
   Toso heads are made by kneading paulownia powder with wheat-starch paste to create a moldable material. This mixture is pressed into a mold, dried, removed, and carefully refined.
   
   In both methods, the basic facial form is completed at this stage in preparation for the gofun coating.
2. Step 2: Gofun Coating and Facial Painting
   The prepared head is finished using gofun, a white pigment made from shell, mixed with animal glue.
   
   Under the nationally designated traditional techniques, the surface is prepared through base coating, raised detailing, intermediate coating, and fine carving before at least three final layers of gofun are applied. Repeated coating and polishing create a smooth, even complexion.
   
   The facial features are then painted with fine brushes. Traditional techniques include painting the eyelashes, eyebrows, hairline details, and lips, with the expression adjusted according to the type and role of the doll.
3. Step 3: Attaching and Styling the Hair
   Hair is attached to the head and styled according to the character and role represented by the doll.
   
   For hina dolls and similar figures, fine guide lines are first carved into the head in a process known as ke-bori. Silk thread is then implanted to form the hair.
   
   The hair is arranged and styled using traditional methods such as tying and shaping the side sections. The exact technique varies according to the type of doll and its hairstyle.
4. Step 4: Making the Hands and Feet
   The hands and feet are traditionally made either by carving wood or by using toso.
   
   In carved pieces, the wood is carefully shaped, while toso components are formed from a mixture of paulownia powder and wheat-starch paste. Fine details such as fingers and wrists are carefully modeled.
   
   The surfaces are finished with gofun, and the angle and position of the hands and feet are adjusted according to the pose and gesture of the doll.
5. Step 5: Constructing the Body
   The body of an Iwatsuki Ningyo may be made from bundled straw or from wood.
   
   For a straw body, the straw is cut to the required dimensions, and backing pieces, a base board, legs, and arms are attached to create the basic structure.
   
   For a wooden body, grooves are carved into the wood before the backing, base board, legs, and arms are fitted.
   
   The proportions are adjusted carefully while taking into account the final pose and the thickness of the costume.
6. Step 6: Making and Dressing the Costume
   Silk or cotton textiles are cut and tailored according to the type and role of the doll.
   
   When necessary, the fabric is backed with washi using a traditional bag-lining method to give it suitable stiffness. This helps maintain the shape of collars, sleeves, and hems.
   
   The completed costume is then dressed onto the body. The overlaps of the collar, spread of the sleeves, and position of the hem are carefully adjusted. Padding may also be added as needed to create the desired body shape.
7. Step 7: Making the Accessories
   Accessories are made according to the type of doll and may include fans, crowns, shaku ceremonial tablets, swords, bows, helmets, and miniature furnishings.
   
   A variety of materials, including wood, bamboo, paper, metal, and lacquer, are used to create these objects at the appropriate scale.
   
   These accessories are not merely decorative; they help identify the status, role, and ceremonial context of the figure.
8. Step 8: Assembly and Finishing
   The completed head, hair, hands and feet, body, costume, and accessories are assembled to create the finished doll.
   
   The angle of the head, position of the limbs, shape of the costume, and placement of accessories are carefully adjusted so that the figure appears balanced not only from the front but also from the sides and rear.
   
   Finally, the gofun surface, facial expression, hairstyle, costume, accessories, and overall posture are inspected and adjusted as necessary before the Iwatsuki Ningyo is completed.

Facility Information

Togyoku Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Honten

Other Dolls, kokeshi

• Hakata Dolls
• Iwatsuki Dolls
• Kyo Dolls
• Miyagi Kokeshi Dolls
• Edo Kimekomi Dolls
• Suruga Hina Dolls
• Edo Seasonal Festival Dolls
• Suruga Doll Accessories
• Edo Oshi-e Embossed Fabric Pictures
• Nagoya Festival Dolls and Decorations

Other Crafts Made in Saitama

• Chichibu Meisen Textiles
• Iwatsuki Dolls
• Edo Kimekomi Dolls
• Kasukabe Paulownia Chests
• Gyoda Tabi Socks