Exhibition Room 2　Japan's Ningyo from the Collection

Ichimatsu Ningyo

In Edo and then in Tokyo, if people just said “o-ningyo,” what they referred to were probably Ichimatsu ningyo, so widely familiar had they become.The name Ichimatsu probably originated in Kyoto and Osaka, but it is now in general use.Most Ichimatsu ningyo were sold undressed, and girls could have fun dressing them themselves.Since legs could bend at the hip joints, knees, and ankles, so that Ichimatsu ningyo could be placed in a sitting position, they are also called mitsuore ningyo.