Hakata dolls (called Hakata ningyo in Japanese) are unglazed clay dolls produced in the city of Hakata, in Fukuoka prefecture. The notable features of Hakata dolls are their subtle soft colors, delicately carved expressions, and curves that almost…

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Iwatsuki doll (called Iwatsuki ningyo in Japanese) is a type of doll made in Iwatsuki ward, Saitama prefecture. This doll is known for its round face with big eyes, smooth and beautiful skin, and shiny human-like hair. The white skin comes from a …

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Kyo dolls (called Kyo ningyo in Japanese) are produced in the city of Kyoto and its surrounding areas in Kyoto prefecture. They are made by several different artisans with their specialized expertise. There are doll head artisans as well as those …

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Miyagi Kokeshi Dolls (called Miyagi Dento Kokeshi in Japanese) are wooden dolls produced in and around the cities of Sendai and Shiraishi, Miyagi prefecture. Categorized based on region into five styles including Naruko kokeshi and Togatta kokeshi…

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Edo Kimekomi Dolls (called Edo Kimekomi ningyo in Japanese) are mainly produced in Taito, Sumida, and Arakawa wards which are located in northeastern Tokyo. The doll’s body, arms, and legs are made of toso, a modeling material made of paulownia sa…

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Suruga Hina Dolls are dolls made in and around Shizuoka City in Shizuoka. Suruga Hina Dolls are larger than other dolls as thick rice straw is used to form the body which is the center of the doll. It is said that rice straw was used because Shizu…

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Kyo-ishi Craft called Kyo-ishi Kougeihin in Japanese, are stonework and gem carvings produced in and around the cities of Kyoto and Uji, in the Kyoto prefecture. Abounding in quality granite from the village of Kitashirakawa at the foot of Mt. Hi…

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Makabe Ishitoro is the Japanese name for Makabe stone lanterns produced around the town of Makabe in the Ibaraki Prefecture. Production of this traditional craftwork started during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The stone industry in the Makabe …

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Edo Sekku Ningyo are dolls produced in 12 of the wards in Tokyo and four cities in Saitama Prefecture. They are costumed dolls, such as ichimatsu ningyo (play dolls), gosho ningyo (palace dolls) and fuzoku ningyo (dolls in period costumes), as wel…

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Okazaki Stonemasonry, called Okazaki Sekkouhin in Japanese, are stone crafts and gem carvings produced in the area around the city of Okazaki in Aichi prefecture. They are made using traditional masonry skills that were found and developed in the …

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Suruga Hinagu (Hina Doll accessories) are a traditional craft produced mainly in Shizuoka city, Kakegawa city and Yaizu city in Shizuoka prefecture. A distinctive feature of Suruga Hinagu is that every piece of furniture, such as chests of drawers…

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Izumo stone lanterns are stone lanterns produced in the city of Sakai Minato in the Tottori prefecture, and in the cities of Matsue and Izumo in the Shimane prefecture. They are made of Kimachi stone, fine-grained tuffaceous sandstone quarried fro…

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Edo Oshi-e, or Edo Oshi-e Embossed Fabric Pictures, are a traditional craft produced around Nihombashi and Asakusa, Tokyo from the late Edo period (1603 - 1867). Today, they are also produced in Sumida ward, Koto ward, Katsushika ward in Tokyo, as…

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