Traditional craft
Edo Kimekomi Ningyo
江戸木目込人形
Festival and kabuki dolls whose kimono is tucked into grooves carved in a paulownia body, a technique begun at Kyoto's Kamigamo Shrine.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 6 February 1978
- Type
- Dolls and kokeshi
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 江戸木目込人形
- Official area (in Japanese)
- さいたま市、春日部市、東京都／文京区、台東区、墨田区、北区、荒川区、板橋区、足立区、葛飾区、江戸川区
Dressed without sewing
A kimekomi doll has a body moulded from toso, paulownia sawdust bound with starch paste. Lines are carved into it, and silk or cotton cloth is tucked into the grooves so the doll looks dressed, with no stitching. People say a doll is only as good as its face, so the head takes the most skill. Products include festival dolls, kabuki dolls and genre figures. It is made in Saitama city, Kasukabe and eastern Tokyo wards in Tokyo and Saitama.
Mould, groove, tuck
- Paulownia sawdust and starch paste are kneaded, pressed into a mould and dried.
- Grooves are carved along the lines of the clothing.
- Cloth is cut and tucked into the grooves, piece by piece.
- The head gets many coats; the eyes, nose and mouth are cut with a small knife, then it is polished.
- Eyebrows and eyes are painted with a fine brush, cheeks and lips are coloured, and silk hair is set.
From a shrine priest
In the mid-Edo period, a priest at Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto carved small dolls from leftover willow used for ritual boxes. He cut grooves and tucked in scraps of priests' robes. They were first called Kamo dolls, then kimekomi dolls after the tucking technique, and the craft spread to Edo.
Good to know
- Look closely at the seams: the cloth edges disappear into the grooves, with no stitching.
- Iwatsuki in Saitama city is a doll town, good for seeing many makers at once.
Questions travellers ask
What does kimekomi mean?
Tucking cloth into carved grooves to dress the doll.
Where did kimekomi dolls start?
At Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto, in the mid-Edo period.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.