Exhibition Room 2　Japan's Ningyo from the Collection

Kamo Ningyo

Kamo ningyo are made using the kimekomi technique, in which grooves are incised in the wooden base and fabric tucked into the grooves. Their origin is said to lie in the ningyo made of surplus materials for the wooden boxes used in rituals at the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto and scraps of the priests’ robes, in the latter half of the Edo period. Their faces, arms, and legs are of plain wood; a variety of fabrics, including silk crepe and brocade, are used on the bodies. Their subtly smiling expressions and the free movements their bodies express are a source of delight.