Web Gallaries of Kyo-Nyngyo, Japanese Traditional Dolls by Menya Shoho

A Message from the Craftsman


A doll is never just a sculpture of the human form. Often dollmakers use human poses to express themselves. In this way, the doll is both a miniaturization of the human form and a means of self-expression. I believe, however, that the true nature of a doll depends not only on the dollmaker, but on the person who owns it, and on the environment in which it is placed. These are what give the objects we refer to as "dolls" their real meaning.
From the moment someone first speaks to a doll, it finds its own first words and comes to life. It is then that the simple dialogue between human and doll begins. In conversation with a doll, a person faces the hidden side of the soul. The doll becomes the medium for this interior confrontation.
A doll can be many things - you may see in its face another side of yourself, a parent perhaps, or even a lover. Sometimes a doll can even act as a guide for a person floating freely in the infinite space of his own soul. Such a doll will guard the privacy of this dialogue warmly-protecting every shared secret of the heart.


Junzo Okamoto