Hakata Ningyo

Passed down over 400 years,the life breathing skill of Hakata Ningyo doll makers

Hakata Ningyo dolls allow you to feel the original warmth of the clay in the unglazed bisque coloring. Its appearance can be beautiful, fierce, sometimes funny, while giving off a gentle aura. And the craftsman gives it a soul, with an appearance so life like that you expect it to start moving at any moment. Beginning with the "genkei," or prototype, which is made through repeating the concept and drawing and which decides the form of the doll, to the "saishiki," which is the coloring of the doll, "menso" which gives facial expression, etc. the Hakata Ningyo doll is the crystallization of superior skill and generous labor.

A sophisticated and textured Hakata Ningyo doll produced through outstanding technology

There are people who think that Hakata Ningyo dolls are mass-produced items, but that is not the case. Broadly speaking, it is true that there are two kinds, works that are one of a kind and those made according to a pattern, but only skillful craftsmen can make a prototype as a base of the plaster mold. Furthermore, coloring the doll using only a brush and no underpainting, requires the high level of skill to judge the difference in thickness in millimeters with the fingertips when pushing clay into the mold. It might be surprising that they can make copies of the same quality with only the image in the craftsman's head. In the past, Hakata Ningyo dolls were bought by many people as gifts so the large size was popular but these days there are also many smaller pieces that can be displayed casually in a corner of the living room. Although the size is different, the passion and workmanship used by craftsmen are same. Please feel the skill inherited in the craft that has been polished and refined for over 400 years.

01/ The raw material is the white clay gathered from the Nanakuma area of Fukuoka. Red clay may also be used depending on the work.
02/Tools such hand-made spatulas, made by the doll makers themselves and adapted to their own hands, are used.
03/ All the coloring, from the making of the model on, comes from the doll maker's own imagination.

The unglazed clay dolls made by artisans gathered by Kuroda Nagamasa, the first lord of the Chikuzen Fukuoka Clan, are said to be the roots of Hakata Ningyo. The picture shows the current state of Fukuoka castle which Kuroda Nagamasa built in 1601. Vestiges of the period are left in the stone wall and turrets which still remain now. Fukuoka Castle is also famous as the city of Fukuoka's premier cherry blossom spot.

The "design" and "model" deciding the form of the doll is started, the hollowed out doll is dried, and then it goes to the firing process. After that, the fired doll under goes the "saishiki," or coloring and the adding of the facial features, or "menso," and the one of a kind Hakata Ningyo doll is completed. It is hard work that takes 2 to 3 months to complete from the start of production.

Currently, the workshops which manufacture Hakata Ningyo dolls are scattered throughout the city of Fukuoka and its suburbs. It is a tough world and while everyone must practice under a master teacher for ten years before becoming an artist, this tradition has improved the quality of the Hakata Ningyo dolls.

All the fine patterns of the kimono are hand-drawn, and the doll maker says, "At the stage of drawing / prototype, the image of the finished product must be created in the head." An especially surprising point is how they can expresses in hand painting the fine patterns and prints peculiar to Japanese fabrics.

The range of Hakata Ningyo dolls is diverse, varying in design and interest. Beautiful ladies, Noh theater characters, kabuki actors, children, and others are representatives of Hakata Ningyo dolls. With their outstanding elegance and gloss, the beautiful ladies are especially popular.
Kabuki actor. The picture reproduces one scene of "Ya-no-ne " from the Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays.
Kabuki actor.
Hina dolls displayed for "Hina Matsuri," an event for girls. Every piece is small in size and matches modern life.