Fushimi Dolls

Fushimi dolls — the clay figures that have been produced in Kyoto's Fushimi district since the Momoyama period, their brightly painted surfaces depicting gods, demons, animals, and folk heroes — are Tokuriki's subject in this print, the folk craft tradition of his native city treated with the same affectionate attention he brought to its temples and festivals. Fushimi dolls were among the most widely exported folk objects of Edo-period Japan, their bright colors and expressive forms crossing cultural boundaries more easily than more sophisticated art objects.