Enpo era (1673-1681) Donated by Saitō Shōji
Made in the Saga area of Kyoto, Saga-style dolls are said to represent the basis for later palace dolls, or goshō ningyō. They are typically made from carved wood and painted with gold, silver or gofun (powdered pigments made from oyster or clam shells).
This carved wooden doll depicts Urashima Tarō, a young fisherman and the protagonist of one of Japan’s most famous folktales. In the story, he visits an underwater kingdom for several days, and is gifted with a mysterious box on his departure, which he is told never to open. Upon his return to dry land, he discovers that 300 years have passed. He opens the box, and finds himself transformed into an old man.