Dollmakers

Drawn from the Showa Shokugyo Emaki, this print portrays ningyo-shi, traditional Japanese doll makers, engaged in the assembly or painting of figures used for hina-matsuri, gosho dolls, or kimekomi. Doll making in Japan is a multi-stage trade involving carved or molded paulownia-wood cores, layered gofun (crushed shell gesso), silk costuming, and miniature painted features—each step often handled by a specialist. Wada's composition isolates the makers at their low workbenches, conveying the still concentration the craft demands. The flat decorative patterns of the dolls' garments contrast with the workshop's plain surfaces, a juxtaposition Wada exploits through his careful color separations. Like other prints in the series, this one was published in collaboration with carvers and printers who translated his designs into woodblock impressions on washi, retaining the watercolor immediacy of his preparatory studies. The print belongs to Wada's broader project of dignifying occupational labor at a moment when traditional ateliers were under economic pressure from mass production.