In the late Edo period, the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) and Tango no Sekku (Boys' Festival) were important and lively events, and dolls played a significant role in them.
IWATSUKI Ningyo (Dolls) originated in the late Edo period, and in the early Meiji era, it is said that the techniques of making festival dolls by local doll makers during the off-season for farming and dolls made as a side job by samurai families merged to create Hina dolls. These dolls were then manufactured on a large scale in Iwatsuki and mainly sold in the Kanto region, becoming an important source of dolls that preserved traditional craftsmanship.
Furthermore, during the Meiji era, the production of IWATSUKI Ningyo (Dolls), including those for the Boys' Festival, steadily expanded, and the region developed into one of the leading production areas in Japan and a valuable center for dolls that convey the atmosphere of the Edo period.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. "Head shaping" shall be performed using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) In the case of a "wooden carved head," use a carving knife to perform "rough shaping" and "small shaping."
  (2) In the case of "wooden heads" and "paulownia wood heads," after "priming," "raising," "intermediate coating," and "cutting," three or more "top coats" shall be applied.

   

  2. "Body construction" shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) In the case of a "straw body", after "cutting the straw body to size", "attach the cardboard base", "attach the footboard and legs", and "attach the arms". In this case, glue or equivalent material should be used to adhere and fix them in place.
  (2) In the case of a wooden body, after carving grooves using a saw, knife, or chisel, attach the base, attach the footboards and legs, and attach the arms. In this case, glue and fix them with animal glue or an equivalent.

   

  3. "Hand and foot creation" shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) For carved wooden hands and feet, use carving tools to perform "rough shaping" and "finishing."
  (2) For the hands and feet made of paulownia wood, after applying the base coat, the intermediate coat, and the cutting, apply the top coat three or more times.

   

  4. When attaching to a stand, secure it using iron wire that penetrates from the torso to the soles of the feet.

   

  5. "Facial detailing" involves using a facial detail brush, a hair brush, and a dot brush to draw eyelashes, eyebrows, hair, and apply lipstick.

   

  6. When attaching the hair to Hina dolls, the hair is carved using a small knife, and then silk threads are attached. In this case, the hairstyle is either tied up or styled with sideburns. Also, when attaching the hair to May dolls and Ukiyo dolls, the hair is attached to the front and sides, and then the sideburns are added.

   

  7. When attaching the costume, the collar should be glued in place with glue or a material of equivalent quality, and placed straight in the center of the torso, front, back, left, and right.

   

  8. "Adding flesh" involves using cotton or thick Japanese paper to create a bulge in the chest area.

   

  9. When lining the "fabric" of the garment, Japanese paper should be used and the "bag-pasting" method should be employed.

   

  raw materials

  1. The materials used for wood carving or paulownia wood paste shall be paulownia, cypress, magnolia, or materials of equivalent quality.

  2. The fabric used for the garments shall be silk or cotton.

  3. The thread used for the hair must be silk.