Exhibition: The Dolls of Japan

“The Dolls of Japan” introduces Japan's representative dolls. In Japan, dolls have been a part of everyday life since ancient times. Japanese dolls reflect the customs of Japan and the aspirations of its people, possess distinctive regional attributes, and over the centuries have developed in many diverse forms. Dolls also provide a showcase for traditional Japanese craft products, such as textiles.

This exhibition introduces Japan’s representative dolls, including Hina ningyo (Girls’ Festival dolls) and Gogatsu ningyo (Boys’ Day dolls), which have their origins in ancient customs; dolls connected to traditional performing arts like noh, bunraku and kabuki; regional dolls from throughout the country; and “creative dolls” produced by contemporary crafts-people.

We hope that the dolls in this exhibition will help visitors to appreciate these various aspects of Japanese culture.