Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Ichimatsu doll


Ichimatsu dolls (市松人形) represent little girls or boys, correctly proportioned and usually with flesh-colored skin and glass eyes. The original Ichimatsu were named after an 18th-century Kabuki actor, and must have represented an adult man, but since the late 19th century the term has applied to child dolls, usually made to hold in the arms, dress, and pose (either with elaborately made joints or with floppy cloth upper arms and thighs). Baby boy dolls with mischievous expressions were most popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, but in 1927 the friendship doll exchange involved the creation of 58 32" dolls representing little girls, to be sent as a gift from Japan to the United States, and the aesthetic of these dolls influenced dollmakers to emulate this type of a solemn, gentle-looking little girl in elaborate kimono.
Yay! a doll card in my collection. Yes , I collect dolls as a theme (is there anything
that I don't collect?!) I collect especially traditional dolls because being a People
collector, dolls are also another aspect of culture which I enjoy. It's particularly interesting
to see how other cultures make a doll. Imagine being a Japanese doll master with hundreds
of these dolls all on the shelf...that would really be something to see. 
Thank you Miyuki for this swap
Sent: 9 October 2015    Received: 20 October 2015   Travelled: 11 days

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