Posted 11 years ago
buzwazee
(1 item)
These were given to my Mother by her dear friend who was a missionary in Japan for many years. She was given the dolls by a woman there who told her they represented some of her ancestors - they had been passed to her. The box is lovely inside and out, with bone (ivory?) closure pins.
I love them and (though perhaps I shouldn't) display them on my book shelves for all to see - always a conversation starter!
This same woman gave me a carved jade pendant necklace - exquisite!
There is nothing on the bottom of any and that littlest guy is just a bit under one-and-a-half inches tall!
I hope someone out there could shed some more light on these little darlings - especially the one with the lettering on the back. A signature, maybe?
Love this site.
Hello. You seem to have a mother & son pair which have been left with bark still showing - the wording is probably the name of the hot spring ("onsen" in Japanese) where they were bought as a souvenir, as signatures are usually on the bottom. Sorry, I can't read much Japanese.
The others are a boy/girl pair of an interesting shape (possibly representing a seated couple). All appear in nice condition, especially since they're probably from the 1950s. Try to keep them out of direct sunlight, as this will darken the wood. Enjoy!