Place of Origin: Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Donated by Shikano Ichio
Koga clay dolls are said to have their origins in small dolls made by Ogawa Kozaburō in the Nakasato area (formerly Koga Village) of Nagasaki City during the Edo period (1603–1868). Befitting the area, which was Japan’s only trading port with foreign countries during its period of isolation, many of the dolls represent exotic figures such as ‘Acha-san,’ depicting a Chinese man holding a chamois, or ‘Oranda-san,’ based on the captain of the Dutch trading post.
Characterized by their simple yet striking forms and bold use of primary colours such as red, white, yellow and black, Koga dolls are one of the most famous types of clay dolls in Japan, together with Kyoto’s Fushimi dolls and Sendai’s Tsutsumi dolls.