NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉

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2007/3/14


駿河雛人形 Suruga-hina-ningyou Suruga Hina Dolls

Jp En

Suruga hina dolls are unique dolls made in Shizuoka Pref. The roots of these dolls are traced back to clay dolls known as “neri-tenjin,” which represent the deep respect for Tenjin, which is peculiar to the Suruga district. Tenjin is another name for Sugawara no Michizane, a Heian period (794-1192) scholar and the deity of study. Neru-tenjin dolls are originally all made of clay and not only facial features but also kimono dresses are painted with brushes. In the late Edo period (1063-1868), a neri-tenjin doll with a cloth-made costume began to be produced, which became the origin of the present Suruga hina dolls. In the making of Suruga hina dolls, rice straw is used to form a body, and the breast part is cut at a slant to form a curved line. Different from Kyoto-typed dolls, each part of a Suruga hina doll is made separately by specialist craftsmen. At the present time, a wide selection of dolls is being made including hina dolls, neri-tenjin dolls, warrior dolls, and those for Boys Festival.
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2007/1/29


秋山信子(人間国宝) Akiyama Nobuko Nobuko Akiyama (Living National Treasure)

Jp En

Nobuko Akiyama was born in 1928. Her real name is Nobuko Imai, while Nobuko Akiyama is her working name. She was designated a Living National Treasure for her 'costume dolls'.

In 1956, she studied under Obayashi Sono, a dollmaker. At this time, she absorbed the ways to work with traditional materials and techniques of dollmaking such as 'tuso' (a mixture of clay and paulownia), 'gluing with paper' and 'graining'. The costumes for her dolls are made with cloth from traditional late-Edo and early-Showa kimonos. In addition, the posture of her dolls can be freely adjusted.

The sophistication of the dolls and their costumes could only be possible because of the traditional materials she uses and her highly-trained skills. The character of the dollmaker appears in the dolls they make. Akiyama's dolls somehow have a 'warmth' as well as style.
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2007/1/12


江戸木目込人形 Edokimekomi-ningyou Edo Kimekomi Dolls

Jp En

Edo Kimekomi Dolls are made in Tokyo and Saitama. They are made by tucking and fixing cloth (usually brocade) costumes to grooves on the doll's body.
   The first doll of this kind is said to have been made by a priest at the Jogamo Shrine in Kyoto, who fixed scraps of cloth to a notched piece of wood.
   After that, kamo-hina dolls spread to Tokyo, where they came to be called Edo Kimekomi. By the end of the Edo period, many dolls of this type were being made.
   The body of the doll is made from toso, which is paulownia powder mixed with wheat starch glue. Then, the body is notched and the costume is fixed to the grooves.
   Edo Kimekomi Dolls have long, lean shapes and fine, delicate features: the contrast with the plumper Kyoto dolls is very interesting.
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江戸衣装着人形 Edoishouginingyou Edo Dress-up Dolls

Jp En

Edo Dress-up Dolls (ishougin ningyo) is a general name for any doll, such as May, March or Ichimatsu dolls, whose costume you can change. These dolls date back to the period of the fifth shogun, Tsunayoshi.
   Dress-up dolls were originally made in Kyoto, but as Edo culture flourished, many Kyoto techniques came to be practised by Edo artisans. They invented various dolls such as Hina, Satsuki and Ichimatsu dolls, which were the prototype of the Edo dress-up Doll.
   A typical doll's body is made from toso, a paste made by mixing paulownia powder with glue; its lively face is layered with white paint; the eyes are glass and the hair is human with silk threads. The costumes can be made from materials such as crepe.
   Using these traditional Edo techniques, today's Edo dress-up dolls match beauty and prettiness with a modern sense.
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"Nippon-kichi" leads you to places, people and things that reveal a certain Japanese aesthetic.

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