. Kumamoto Folk Toys

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Kumamoto Folk Art - 熊本県　



. Kumamon くまもん　/ くまモン Mascot from Kumamoto .


. Kiji-guruma きじ車 pheasant on wheels Kyushu
kiji uma きじ馬 pheasant horse


. Namazu 鯰 catfish legends and Mount Aso .

. Kumamoto ceramics 焼物　 .
- Shodai Ware　小代焼
- Amakusa Ceramics　天草焼
- Koda Ware / Kōda ware 高田焼 Kōda-yaki

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Amakusa town 天草　

. Amakusa tsuchi ningyoo 天草土人形 Amakusa Clay Dolls .
天草人形 Amakusa dolls

Tookooji 東向寺 Toko-Ji
The Three famous Suzuki after the rebellion :
Shoosan, Shigenari, Shigetatsu 正三、重成、重辰
Suzuki Jinja 鈴木神社


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Hachidai village 八代　

ikken hagoita 一間羽子板 very long battledore



Made and sold at the toy shop 大岡玩具店 Ooka in Hachidai village (next to Uto town). But now they are not made any more.
They are about 1.8 meter long and 1 cm thick.
They were painted with auspicious motives like the Sanbaso dance for the New Year.
These large battledores were given as presents to a family when a girl was born. When the girl had grown up to be the wife in another home, the wood was used to make a needle box or box for her sandals.

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Hinagu Hot Spring 日奈久温泉 in the bay of Hachidai

okin jo ningyoo, O-Kin　おきん女人形　/ おきん女人形 The Girl O-Kin

O-Kin was a beautiful girl working at the Hot Spring, about 200 years ago.
The doll is made from the wood of the paulownia　桐. Its arms and legs are fixed to the main body with stark-red cotton strings and cloth and can be moved.
On the bib painted on the brest are flower patterns.
They come in many sizes.
This simple doll was used by girls to play "mother and child".



The doll is also called penta ningyoo, benta ningyoo ぺんた人形 / 弁太人形 / べんたにんぎょう - Benta Doll
べんた人形
The name Benta derives from the name of the original creator of this doll "Benta" during the Bunsei period (1818-1830). He was said to be a Korean immigrant using remnant Kiri wood material from Geta clog production as most of the folk toys from Hinagu were made. Hinagu is known for its Geta production because many good quality Kiri trees grow in this area.
The doll is also called the "Okin-jyo" doll modeled after a girl from a nearby fishing village who helped to find a hot spring with Rokurouzaemon. He was a son of Hamada Ukon, a very important warrior for the Kumamoto lord. When Ukon was injured during a battle, his son Rokurouzaemon came to pray at Ichikishima Shinto Shrine to find a healing hot spring for his father and with the help from Okin, he finally found the present day Hinagu hot spring. It used to be a custom to buy this Benta doll at the Hinagu festival.

The original Benta dolls are simple wooden doll without limbs just like the Kokeshi dolls but the arms and legs were added in the mid-Meiji period (1868-1912). The condition of this piece is very good and her age is from the 1960's.
- source : www.worthpoint.com -

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ita sumoo 板相撲 sumo wrestling on a bord
. Sumo　相撲 　Sumo wrestling dolls .

. kiji uma きじ馬 pheasant horse, pheasant on wheels .


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Hitoyoshi town 人吉市

hanatebako, hana tebako 花手箱 box with flowers
mostly camellia

The boxes are made from cedar wood, covered with strong washi paper and then painted with stark red camellia blossoms and green leaves. The edges are black. Other boxes have chrysanthemums for decoration.
They were sold at local markets and Shrine fairs.

Kijiuma are wheeled-bird toys, hanatebako are camellia-motif boxes, and hagoita are wooden paddles for Japanese badminton.



These traditional toys were born out of tragedy about 800 years ago. After the Heike clan was run out of power and all but wiped out in the 12th century, a group of survivors escaped to the Kuma region, where they continued to hide in exile. With their simple but vivid colors, these playthings were originally made out of a longing for the clan’s glory days.
Today, they are treated more as traditional decorations rather than recreational articles.
- source : kumanago.jp/en -



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hana tekago 花手籠 / 花手箱 flower box
and hagoita 羽子板、battledore
The batteldore also features flowers and tsubak icamellia blossoms.
Made by 池口真人（まさと） Ikeguchi Masato san.
熊本市龍田町上立田391




. Hagoita 羽子板　Battledore, Shuttlecock .

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kiji uma きじ馬 / kiji kuruma 雉子車 pheasant horse
uzuraguruma うずら車 quail on wheels

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shunnamejo しゅんなめじょ Shunnamejo
しゅん=春 shun is for spring
なめ＝男女 name is for male and female
じょ＝愛称の接尾語 jo is a pleasent word ending

decoration for the New Year, to pray for a good harvest and good luck.
Made from a stick of the paper mulberry tree (koozo 楮) in the simple form with a human face.



This simple doll is then decorated with paper robes for male and female forms.
A stand is made from a straw barrel with four legs.



The dolls and some flower imitations of mochi rice are stuck into the straw.
The more human figures a family decorated, the more hands there would be during the harvest time to help with the farm work.
This decoration was made by all farming families and put up in the tokonoma alcove for decoration during the New Year holidays.
- source : www.pe-toru.or.jp -


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unsun karuta ウンスンかるた Unsun card game



- quote -
Unsun Karuta is a card game, based on the western deck of playing cards, that was first brought to Japan by a Portuguese sailor.
During the Tenshou Era (1573 ~1591), the very first copy of western-style playing cards was made in Japan. These cards, made in Mitsuike, Oomuta City, Fukuoka, came to be known as Tenshou Karuta. In the Edo period, they were developed further and Unsui Karuta was born.
While Tenshou Karuta had 48 cards, Unsun Karuta has 75 cards and more complicated rules. The name, Unsun, is said to have derived from the Portuguese words for the number one – “un” and the best – “sun”.
As Unsun Karuta gained popularity, the gambling potential of the game became so popular that, in the middle of the Edo period, it was banned. Unsun Karuta was believed to have entirely disappeared until it was discovered that the people of the Hitoyoshi region in Kumamoto had been enjoying the game all along.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -


. Karuta, Uta Karuta 歌留多 Japanese playing cards .

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Ichinomiya, ichi no miya 一の宮

tookibi ningyoo とうきび人形 dolls from corn
made from the skin of tomorokoshi とうもろこしの皮 corn and other parts of local plants.
They are usually 5 to 10 cm high.



. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Kawajiri town (Kawashiri) 川尻

. Kawajiri hoochoo 川尻包丁 Kawajiri Hocho Knives .
trace their origins to swordsmith Naminohira Yukiyasu, who lived during the Muromachi Period.

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Konoha town 木葉

Konoha saru 木の葉猿 / 木葉猿 monkey from Konoha


meshikui zaru 飯喰猿 monkey eating rice balls

These monkeys are all hand-twisted and thus all have an individual touch.
In the year 723 the tradition started with a monkey as the messenger from the deity 山の神 Yama no Kami .
Now they are well-loved amulets to ward off evil and disaster, prevent illness and keep a happy family.


source :　niconiconico

The original kiln in Konoha makes 15 different types of monkeys.
The name of the village was then written like this, meaning
tooth of a tiger 虎の歯 （このは）
where refugees from the capital lived. One of them had a dream sent from the deity of Kasuga Daimyoojin 春日大明神 to use the clay of the local mountain 汝等雨山 and make the monkeys as his messengers.

木の葉猿窯元 Konoha Kiln
〒869-0303 熊本県玉名郡玉東町木葉60



. 山の神 Yamanokami God of the Mountain .



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Kumamoto town 熊本市

. Kumamon くまもん　/ くまモン Kumamon Daruma　くまモンだるま .

人吉の羽子板と花手箱 Hitoyoshi hagoita and flower boxes



Kumamon is also featured on the Flower Boxes and Battledore from Hitoyoshi.

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青井阿蘇神社の獅子頭 Aoi Aso Jinja - Lion Head



18 Kamiaoimachi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
- source : www.aoisan.jp -

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. Higo zoogan 肥後象嵌　Higo Zogan inlay .
Gold and silver on iron.


Higo chonkakegoma 肥後ちょんかけごま flying spinning top from Higo
Chon'kake Goma - chonkake koma - Higo Chonkake Goma

This spinning top originates in Indonesia. It was introduced first in Kumamoto about 400 years ago. It is a bit bigger in diameter than other Japanese spinning tops.



The rope is wound around the metal center pin and then the top is thrown into the air and caught with the rope, moved along the cord and thrown into the air again. It is about 11 cm in diameter and like a flat plate, decorated with thin rings in black, green or yellow color.
Made from the wood of sarusuberi (Crape myrtle) or tsubaki (camellia tree).


ちょんかけごま / 山本貞美 Yamamoto Sadami

. koma 独楽 spinning tops from Japan .

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obake no Kinta お化けの金太 Kinta the Ghost
- quote -
Obake no Kinta or Kinta the Ghost
is a folk toy that originated in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
The toy consists of a head with a string in the back of it. When the string is pulled, Kinta rolls his big round eyeballs and sticks out his tongue. A bamboo spring is concealed in his head which, when pulled, triggers the eyes and the tongue to move at the same time. Kinta with his red face and a black conical hat makes a striking impression on small children and he often scares them a little. He is a popular toy among adults, however.



The most important process in making this toy is the making of the bamboo spring. The quality of this spring determines the quality of the toy.
When Kato Kiyomasa built the Kumamoto Castle, there was a popular foot soldier named Kinta who had a funny face and who was good at making people laugh. He was affectionately called “Clown Kinta”. The "Kinta the Ghost" toy was said to have been created during the Kanei era (1848 ~ 1853) by a doll maker, Hikoshichi Nishijinya 西陣屋彦七, who started making mechanical toys based on stories about Kinta.
Because of his unique action, Kinta the Ghost was also known as the Goggle-eyed Doll.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -

donguri me どんぐり目, 目くり出し人形 mekuridashi ningyoo - goggle-eyed doll

. Kato Kiyomasa 加藤清正 .
(1562 - 1611) Katoo Kiyomasa

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uso 手取り神社のうそ carved bullfinch from Tedori Jinja
. usokae うそ替え exchanging carved bullfinches

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Kumamoto ittobori くまもと一刀彫 　wood carvings with one blade





from Gingko biloba wood 銀杏, since 1947.
made by Murakami san 村上一光 and others.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -

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Higo temari 肥後てまり　
Temari is a traditional Japanese thread ball that was used as a toy ball for children. While playing with the ball, children used to sing a temari song. The most loved of these temari songs was “Antagata dokosa” which came from Higo Temari, traditionally from Kumamoto Prefecture.



Higo Temari, whose beauty is characterized by bright colors and biometric patterns, was first made by the court ladies working in their clan’s palace in Edo, Tokyo, as a pastime. This skill was eventually passed down to their local regions.
Higo Temari,
which was traditionally made by local women in Higo region, began disappearing as rubber balls took over the market in the middle of Meiji period. In 1968, Higo Temari Club was founded and began formally preserving the temari making method.
The core of a temari ball is formed with dried sponge cucumber which was cut at an angle. Thin yarn is wrapped over the core, and then thread is randomly wrapped around the outside of the ball which produces a cushioned surface and helps create a perfect spherical shape.
French Embroidery threads are applied to decorate the surface which creates superb color schemes and a rich variety in designs.
The Higo Temari song mentions a place called “senba”, which is on the bank of Tsuboi River that was once abundant with small shrimps. Mt. Senba nearby was once inhabited by raccoon dogs and the surrounding area was said to be a dense grove and bamboo thicket.

14-11-201 Minamisendanbata Town, Kumamoto,
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -

あんたがたどこさ　
肥後さ
肥後どこさ　
熊本さ
熊本どこさ　
せんばさ
せんば山には　
狸がおってさ
それを猟師が　
鉄砲でうってさ
煮てさ　焼いてさ　
食ってさ
それを木の葉で　
チョイトかくせ

Where are you from?
From Higo
Where in Higo?
From Kumamoto
Where in Kumamoto?
From Senba
In the mountains of Senba
There is a raccoon
It was shot with a gun by a hunter
Who cooked it
Then roasted it
And ate it,
With leaves from a tree
He covered it.
source :　www.mamalisa.com


. temari 手まり、手毬 thread ball .

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Noboritate town 登立

Noboritate Tenmangu no uso 登立天満宮のうそ
carved bullfinch from the Noboritate Tenmangu shrine
. usokae うそ替え exchanging carved bullfinches


. Shishigashira 獅子頭 lion head mask .
from shrine Aoi Aso Jinja 青井阿蘇神社

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Oohatamachi Oohata village 大畑町 Ohata

木製玩具 wooden toys of animals
（きじ馬。弾き猿。跳ね猿。担い猿）

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Uto town 宇土市

. Uto hariko 宇土張り子 papermachee dolls from Uto . -



Hime Daruma 宇土の姫達磨 princess Daruma from Uto


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Yamaga town 山鹿

Yamaga choochin 山鹿灯籠 lantern, Yamaga Lighted Lanterns


These lanterns are made solely of paper and are said to be the acme of paper craft. They were originally for festival use, but recently they have become popular as souvenirs.

. Yamaga Tooroo Matsuri 山鹿灯籠まつり Yamaga Toro Lantern Festival .


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Yatsushiro region 　八代地方　

. Hikoichi don from Kumamoto 熊本の彦一　 .
Hikoichi koma (Hiko-Ichi) 彦一独楽 spinning top - koma


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. Reference and Photos . Gangu Guide .
. Reference and Photos . Yama no Ie . Folk Toys .

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. WASHOKU . Regional Dishes from Japan

MORE
. Kumamoto Folk Toys - this BLOG .


. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011


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