[VILLAGE Report vol.36] Japan’s Top Producer of Hina Dolls | Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture’s nationally designated items are Edo Kimekomi Dolls, Iwatsuki Dolls, Kasukabe Paulownia Chests, Gyoda Tabi Socks, Chichibu Meisen these 5 items.

A town of dolls

Iwatsuki, in Saitama City, is known nationwide as a production area for hina dolls.

Why this place? There are said to be three reasons.

• Craftspeople gathered for the construction and repair of Nikko Toshogu Shrine settled in this area on their way home
• paulownia powder and good-quality water were available; doll heads are made by kneading paulownia powder with gofun white pigment
• Edo was nearby. A major customer base was next door

Shizuoka’s Suruga hina doll accessories (vol.27) are also said to be founded on the skills of craftspeople who gathered from across Japan for the construction of Shizuoka Sengen Shrine.

Large construction projects draw craftspeople and leave production areas behind. It is the same pattern.

And their roles also divided. Shizuoka made “hina fittings,” or accessories; Saitama made “the dolls themselves.”

Kimekomi as a making method

Edo Kimekomi Dolls The “kimekomi” in the name The edges of fabric are pressed into grooves carved into the body to dress the doll in kimono technique.

No sewing. Glue is placed in the grooves, and an awl is used to press and secure the fabric edges.

That is why the depth and width of the grooves determine everything. If they are too shallow, the fabric comes loose; if they are too deep, the fabric looks thin.

The reason this name is designated in both Saitama and Tokyo is the production area crosses the prefectural border. Just as Toyama and Ishikawa (vol.31 and 32) were originally part of the same domain, the map of crafts does not match administrative boundaries.

UNESCO’s third paper

Hosokawa-shi Paper is one of the three techniques included in “Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper,” registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.

The other two are Sekishu hanshi paper (Shimane) and Honminoshi (Gifu, vol.26). With this, all three have appeared in this series.

The defining feature of Hosokawa-shi is strength. Because it is made without cutting the long fibers of kozo paper mulberry, it was used for account books and business ledgers.

Kochi was for restoration (vol.17), Fukui for large-format paper (vol.30), and Mie for stencil paper (vol.20). Saitama made paper for work.

Tabi socks are crafts, too

Gyoda Tabi Socks are designated as a national Traditional Craft.

Gyoda has been a tabi production area since the Edo period, and at its peak most of Japan’s tabi socks were made in this town according to estimates.

Tabi making is work that sews curved surfaces to match the shape of the foot. This sewing technique later connected to the clothing industry.

In Toyooka, Hyogo (vol.24), we also wrote about how kiryu basketry became a bag industry. Crafts are often the prehistory of modern industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What kind of textile is Chichibu Meisen?
A. Its defining feature is that the warp and weft are different colors, so the color appears to shimmer depending on the viewing angle. From the Taisho era to the early Showa era, it was widely worn as everyday clothing.

Next issue: Chiba. The third of Japan’s three great uchiwa fans.

References: Saitama Prefecture, Saitama City, Gyoda City, Iwatsuki, Saitama City, Ogawa Town, Higashichichibu Village, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: opencontent / David Wiley / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)