About Edo Isho Ningyo (Edo Costume Dolls)
Edo Isho Ningyo are costume-dressed hina and samurai dolls crafted mainly in Taito and Arakawa wards, Tokyo. The defining 'isho-ki' style features separately crafted heads and limbs, dressed in genuine silk costumes made from crepe, brocade, and Chinese weave fabrics. Together with Edo Kimekomi dolls they form Tokyo's two great doll-making traditions. Premium hina dolls combining exquisitely crafted paulownia-paste heads with lavish costumes continue to be painstakingly finished one by one by craftsmen as the finest tier of seasonal festival dolls.
Techniques & Materials
Craft terms are shown in the original Japanese — these are proper names with no standard English equivalents.
Techniques
桐塑頭（とうそがしら）制作衣裳仕立て（正絹・縮緬）胴体木組み・ワラ芯御髪（かもじ）取り付け
Materials
桐塑（桐粉・糊）正絹（縮緬・錦・唐織）胡粉桐材胴体
Where to see & buy
Workshop names are in Japanese; links go to their official sites.