15 Most Exquisite Traditional Japanese Dolls

by David McElhinney & Lucy Dayman | CRAFT

Japanese dolls are an essential element of the nation’s culture, there is even festival dedicated to them every spring! Known in Japanese as ningyo, or human form, they come in many shapes and sizes, and have just as many meanings and uses. So how can you tell the difference between them all the different types of Japanese dolls?

Some represent historical figures, while others are more a representation of an ideology, still others are just for fun. The country’s historically diverse and nuanced relationship with dolls is difficult to embody in one single style and figure, so to help you understand the differences between the different types, here are 15 of the most important traditional Japanese dolls.

1. Hinamatsuri – The Doll Festival

Emperor and Empress Dolls, Kyoto National Museum

Hinamatsuri, also known as Doll’s Day or Girls' Day, is held on March 3. Recognized throughout the country, Hinamatsuri is a celebration of Japan’s girls – during the festivities, families pray for happy marriages and prosperous futures for their daughters. Many people also display a set of ornamental dolls, known as hina dolls, on red cloth-covered platforms. The dolls, dressed in clothing from the Heian period (794 – 1185), represent the Emperor, Empress and other members of the ruling aristocracy.

The event is also celebrated at shrines across Japan – one of the most noteworthy being Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, which hosts an event known as Nagashi Bina. During Nagashi Bina, a couple dressed in elaborate Heian-style clothing place small hina dolls into the nearby stream; a congregation of spectators then does the same. The purpose of the ritual is to imbue the dolls with the power to protect little girls from evil spirits. Check out the spectacle in the video below!

2. Kyoto Doll

Also known as Kyo Ningyo, Kyoto dolls were created to play a more sophisticated, decorative role in Japanese society. Crafted using classic Japanese techniques pass down through artisans from the region, Kyoto Dolls are actually in the traditional sense a collaborative effort between some of the area’s most skilled artisans. Often each part of the doll is created by a separate expert: limbs by one person, head and hair by another, and clothing by a textile master. Because of all the work that goes into crafting these dolls, they’re rather expensive, but created to last, often becoming a cherished family heirloom. This example is somewhat of an exception, as it's the work of renowned doll maker Menya Shoho.

3. Kokeshi Doll

Originating from north-eastern Japan, kokeshi dolls’ beauty lies in their understated simplicity. Thanks to their popular design, durable shape and distinctly Japanese minimalist aesthetic, these dolls make for great souvenirs or subtle ornaments.

Although their specific origin remains a tantalizing mystery, historians reckon the first incarnation of the kokeshi doll was crafted somewhere in the Tohoku region during the Edo period (1603 – 1868). Though there are common threads, such as a lack of limbs and bodies adorned in flowery garments, kokeshi dolls come in many variations. They are typically painted with red and black ink, but occasionally feature flourishes of yellow, purple, blue, and green. Some bear hairpieces created from a separate block of wood, though more simplistic variations may feature painted hair instead.

The dolls aren’t quite as ubiquitous in society as they once were. That said, their legacy remains through legendary video game and console developer Nintendo, where kokeshi served as the inspiration for Miis, Nintendo's digital avatars.

Want your own kokeshi doll? You can purchase this handmade example online from Amazon.

4. Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo

Kuruma ningyo, literally meaning car doll, is a rare form of puppet theater whereby puppeteers navigate the performance space using a small wooden cart. This Edo-period craft was developed in the Hachioji district of Tokyo sometime in the 19th century, but the dolls – which serve as the characters in a kuruma ningyo show – have a history dating back to the 1600s.

Bunraku, Japan’s traditional puppet theatre style, grew to prominence around this time thanks to the works of legendary writers, like Chikamatsu Monzaemon, whose plays are still performed today. Where bunraku differs from its spiritual successor, however, is that three people are required to navigate the one-meter-plus-tall puppets, whereas with kuruma ningyo, the flexibility of the wooden cart allows for a single puppeteer to manipulate the doll more easily.

5. Bunraku Puppet

Bunraka Puppet, 20th Century, V&A Museum

As noted, bunraku puppets are used to perform in bunraku or kuruma ningyo shows. Bunraku puppets are made of wood and are bodiless; only the head, hands, legs, and feet are crafted, while the torso is simulated using a kimono or some other traditional Japanese attire.

The heads of bunraku dolls are often complex, interchangeable, and highly animated. Individual components of the head, or kashira, also move to display emotion and simulate dialogue. Multiple heads may be created for an individual character before being switched out during the show to convey erratic changes in emotion or the aging process.

6. Daruma

Of all the traditional dolls from Japan, Daruma are perhaps the most well-known. Iconic good-luck charms bought during the New Year period, Daruma are modeled in the mythologized likeness of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Their bizarre angry-faced, pupil-less, egg-shaped rendering is supposed remind the doll’s owner of the importance of perseverance – a concept strongly linked to ascetic oriental belief systems. When someone purchases a doll they’re meant to select a goal or ambition, then color one of the pupils. Once the goal has been achieved – hopefully through perseverance – they can then fill in the second eye.

To find out more, check out 6 Things to Know about Daruma Dolls!

7. Gogatsu Ningyo

The counterpart to hinamatsuri, Tango-no-Sekku, is a traditional festival held on May 5 which is known in English as Boys’ Day. As with Girls’ Day, Boys’ Day celebrates the nation’s young boys and features displays on which symbolic dolls reside. Gogatsu ningyo, meaning warrior dolls, sit atop the display wearing samurai armor with weapons – like swords and bows and arrows – placed on either side of them.

The 1,200-year-old ritual of the festival, which started with votive offerings of sweet calamus root to ward off evil spirits, eventually morphed into Boys’ Day whereby communities would pray for their sons’ future success in battle. In the modern version of the event, people still ask the gods to ensure success and fortune for their offspring, but in less bloodthirsty endeavors.

8. Iki Ningyo

Iki ningyo, or living dolls, are the most lifelike of traditional Japanese dolls. Like many arts and crafts, iki dolls became popular during the Edo period, especially as centerpieces in misemono (exhibitions, or pulp shows, renowned for their crudeness). In rarer cases, infatuated members of the upper classes were also known to curate their own private collections.

The dolls are characterized by their human form, from the size and dimensions of the body to the intricacies of the face. Typically, the heads are made of wood covered in crushed shell paste. To ensure facial features have as realistic a quality as possible, polished glass is used for the eyes, ivory for the teeth (though bone is a more common material today), and human hair or animal fur for the head and eyelashes.

9. Kimekomi Doll

Kimekomi Doll, The Strong National Museum of Play

Dressed in traditional Japanese textiles and often depicted with elegant facial features, Kimekomi dolls are found in gift stores and specialist craft workshops across Japan. The term kimekomi, which refers to the clothing, is a crafting technique created in Kyoto during the early 1700s and honed over the subsequent centuries.

The technique involves cutting patterns into hard foam or soft wood, then tucking layers of fabric into the cuts before applying to the doll. Though kimekomi dolls are as likely to be decorative as symbolic, they have strong links to Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto, which their original creator helped craft.

10. Kintaro Dolls

Kintaro, whose name means “Golden Boy”, is a famous character from Japanese folklore. A child of godlike strength – a kind of oriental Hercules, if you will – he has appeared in multiple kabuki and bunraku plays over the centuries and is often depicted in doll form. Kintaro dolls can be made of various materials, including wood, ceramic, clay, and in some cases, plastic. Paint and thread will also be added to give the doll color and to function as hair and clothes, respectively.

In figurine form, Kintaro is usually rendered with a chubby adolescent body and long black hair dressed in a traditional Japanese style. He also wears a red and gold vest and holds a battle ax in one hand and a carp in the other. Kintaro is often displayed on Boys’ Day with hopes that he will help young boys grow up to become strong and heroic men.

11. Okinawa Shisa

In the Japanese islands of Okinawa, formerly known as the Ryukyu Kingdom until they were annexed in the 1870s, shisa dolls are common religious artifacts. Inspired by traditional Chinese temple iconography, a shisa is like the offspring a bearded lion and a canine, and is often depicted in pairs at temple entranceways. The appearance of two shisa at temple is believed to protect worshippers from evil spirits attempting to enter the sacred ground.

Though temple shisa will often be sculpted from stone, smaller doll renditions of the spiritual guardians also exist; these are found outside family homes and populating ornament shelves. Shisa can come in variety of color patterns and materials, though they’ll always be sold in pairs – one baring fanged teeth, the other with pursed lips.

12. Gosho Doll

Gosho dolls, also known as gosho ningyo, are smooth, cherubic figurines with a history going back 400 years. Not long after they appeared in the oeuvre of Kyoto’s master craftsmen, they became commons gifts for the daimyo, or “feudal lords”, who visited the city (which was at the time the capital).

Gosho dolls are recreations of children at play and are said to bring good luck to their owners. Their distinctive style – a fusion of adolescent features with an eerie adult-like quality touching the face – is highly reminiscent of the masks worn by actors during Noh theater performances. Often posing with props and objects, each doll carries with it a different meaning, such as veneration, joy, delight, and fortune.

This delightful example is by skilled doll-maker Shimada Koen. You can check out more of his work over at his website.

13. Karakuri Doll

Karakuri dolls, mechanical figurines or automata first created during the Edo period, are the precursor to Japan’s love of robotics. The term karakuri, meaning trick, is used to describe something’s hidden ability to perform a task that inspires awe, not unlike the concealed mouth of the iconic No-Face character in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away.

At first glance karakuri dolls look patently decorative. However, after a closer inspection, you’ll notice they have a secret mechanism, which is deployed through the movements of small internal levers as a result of externally applied pressure. An example would be a stationary doll holding a plate outwards with both hands, which then moves in a forward direction upon receiving a bowl of tea on top the plate. Usually karakuri dolls perform perfunctory tasks – like serving tea – but sometimes have more elaborate functions for purposes of entertainment.

Some proponents also believe this form of traditional Japanese doll played an influential role in the development of Noh and Kabuki theater, both of which rely on rigid, mechanical movements.

14. Teru Teru Bozu

A teru teru bozu, or shine shine monk, is a small paper doll which looks like the traditional Western representation of a ghost. What they portend, however, is decidedly more benevolent: they are hanging talismans used to ward off bad weather or excessive rain.

The dolls originated in farming communities, before city dwellers adopted them during the Edo period. Families would create the teru teru bozu dolls and hang them outside the windows of their homes with hopes they’d work their magic overnight. In the event the following day brought inclement weather nonetheless – meaning the dolls hadn’t served their purpose – they would be drowned in rice wine and discarded in a nearby river. Though long passed their heyday, teru teru bozu are still occasionally used in elementary schools across Japan.

15. Oiran Doll

As covered in our recent piece on Japanese geta, the oiran are important (albeit often overlooked) characters from the annals of Japanese history. Similar to geisha in looks and style, oiran had more adult duties; or more bluntly, they were sex workers. But they also had entertainment talents outside of the bedroom: they were skilled in the traditional arts, impressed with their ability as raconteurs, and performed and entertained at tea houses for the local aristocracy. Oiran dolls are impressive and highly intricate renderings of these lost performers from Japanese history.

December 24, 2021 | Craft

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