Mingei Arts

The two figures represented here show a wooden Haniwa female, and Haniwa warrior in heavy armor, (a testament to authority grounded in military prowess), and represented with the use of wrapped cord to imitate their traditional costume.Dimensions: Female figure- 9-1/2”h and the male figure- 10-1/4”h. Additional Information- Ningyou, or Japanese dolls, have a long history [...]

This is a Japanese vintage Ichii Itto bori wood zodiac animal carving from the 1960s. This piece was crafted by and signed on the underside by Ryoho, who worked in the Hida Takayama area of Gifu Prefecture. This piece is made of Japanese Cedar, which is an evergreen yew tree from the mountain areas of [...]

Japanese nesting dolls typically consist of a set of dolls of increasing sizes placed one inside the other. This doll incorporates of a wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, the tinier doll inside of it (Following tradition, most dolls of [...]

This is a Japanese vintage Ichii Itto bori wood zodiac animal carving from the 1960s. This piece was crafted by and signed on the underside by Ryoho, who worked in the Hida Takayama area of Gifu Prefecture. Carving techniques inherited by craftsmen such as Ryoho date to the 5th and 6th centuries, with wood carving [...]

In 1830 (Tempo era), there was a great famine in Japan, due to the failure of the rice crop which is Japan’s food staple. This little mouse, trying to eat from an empty dish was a humorous if not a sad caricature of lean times. The mouse/rat is the first animal listed in the Asian Zodiac, and considered a very auspicious symbol. Nezumi, [...]

The historical tradition of crafting Inu Omamori dates from the eighth century, and comes from the oldest Buddhist convent for women in Japan. The Hokke-ji, which was founded by the Empress Komyo, was primarily devoted to the welfare of women, the poor, and the sick. Hokke-ji is where the Imperial Princess and noblewoman (monzeki) has been interned for the past 1,200 years. These [...]

Japanese traditional dolls are known by the name Ningyo, which literally means human shape. It is said that Kimekomi dolls were first made by Tadashige Takahashi, who served for Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto over 260 years ago. Kimekomi dolls, “Ki” means wood, “Mekomi” refers to the construction. These small wooden dolls were clothed with leftover fabrics of Shinto priest’s [...]

This is a beautiful Japanese Creative Kokeshi doll by award winning artist Tsujita Ryozou, (1923-) who passed away a few years ago and originally from Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The body is lathe-turned, and the details of the doll (long straight hair, eyes, and nose) are hand carved. The entire piece is finished in a special black lacquer with [...]