Enkyō era (1744–1748) Donated by Saitō Shōji
Made of hollowed-out papier-mâché, the lightness of this doll allows its arms to move up and down when pulling the strings attached to its back. It is depicted playing the Japanese pellet drum or ‘den-den daiko,’ which was introduced to wider Western audiences in the film The Karate Kid: Part II.
The doll’s fringe is tied with mizuhiki, the twisted paper strings used to tie gifts for celebratory occasions. Dolls that had such hairstyles were referred to as ‘mizuhiki-te.’