Iwatsuki Ningyo

Big eyes, bold colour

Iwatsuki dolls have large bodies, round heads and clear features, often with big eyes and slightly bold colouring. Their skin is coated with gofun, a white pigment made from shells, mixed with animal glue, which gives a smooth, almost human finish. Hair is raw silk that looks like real hair. Products are hina dolls for Girls' Day, Boys' Day dolls and ukiyo figures. It is made in Iwatsuki in Saitama city, Saitama.

Wood, gofun and straw

• Heads are carved from soft paulownia or similar wood, or moulded from toso, paulownia sawdust with starch paste.
• The head is coated with gofun and animal glue, a mix perfected over generations, and smoothed.
• Raw silk is set as hair.
• A straw body is cut to size and dressed in silk or cotton costume.

Farm skills meet samurai skills

Iwatsuki dolls began in the late Edo period, when Hinamatsuri and Boys' Day were major family festivals. In early Meiji, the skills of farmers who made festival dolls in the off-season merged with those of former samurai who made dolls as side work. Hina dolls were then made in earnest and sold mainly around Kanto, and in Meiji production of Boys' Day dolls grew until Iwatsuki was one of Japan's leading doll centres.