Bunsei period (1818–1830)
Donated by Saitō Shōji
These dolls were made during the Edo period in the town of Kōnosu in Saitama Prefecture. The head is made of nerimono (a mixture of sawdust and wheat starch kneaded into a clay-like paste and moulded on a wooden model), the body of wood, paper and brocade, and brightly-coloured pieces of paper. They were mainly sold to travellers who were en route to the Nakasendo highway and the Nikko Utsunomiya Road. Various theories exist as to the origins of these dolls.