'Dolls of Japan' exhibition
Published on: Sunday, May 28, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Members of the public will have the opportunity to learn more about Japanese customs and aspirations from their traditional dolls.A one-month exhibition, beginning May 29, called "The Dolls of Japan" will be held at the Sabah Art Gallery. Brought by Japan Foundation, the exhibition will showcase more than 80 Japanese dolls which have been part of their everyday life since ancient times.
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The foundation's Asia Centre Programme Officer, Yuri Yamada, said the story behind each of the dolls reflects also the rich history of Japan and the way of life of its people."In all our exhibitions, we always observe that people were very curious about our culture and history. So to us, these dolls are our ambassadors. They help us connect with people of different nationalities," she said, adding that the dolls have travelled to so many countries over a period of more than 10 years.This will be its first exhibition in Sabah.
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Although only 20 years old the most, Yuri said the method used by craftsmen and women in making the dolls have not changed after hundreds of years."Like the Kokeshi dolls, they are very simple to make but the modern craftsmen made them in the same way it was done over 200 years ago," she explained.
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What people may find interesting, she said, is that the Kokeshi dolls will take them back to Japan's ancient times as well as give them a glimpse of the people's way of life."Most probably these dolls originate from the northern part of the country during the Edo period. This area has many mountains and trees. So you can imagine the people used a lot of timber for their basic daily needs. The leftovers were often used to make these dolls," said Yuri.Another interesting fact, she revealed, is that many artists and craftsmen spent more than 10 years to learn to make the dolls from their masters.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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