on the forehead. Called a mizuhiki ("water drawing"), these ribbons were executed in such a way as to appear tied to the forelock of the gosho's hair. Even when silk fiber or real hair was employed for the side hair, topknot, or back locks, the portions of the hair depicted with a presentation ribbon remain painted. Gosho-ningyō with these ribbons are referred to as mizuhiki-de gosho. This design was based on the practice of tying red and white paper tie cords around gifts for formal occasions. The phrase "water drawing" symbolizes an element of purification, or that the gifts have been blessed before presentation. Some authors have traced this tradition in ningyō to the Kyoto-based gosho-ningyō maker Omokichi, who was active during the Bunka-Bunsei eras, corresponding to the years 1804-29. However, a number of figures which have been reliably dated to the late eighteenth century also bear the mizuhiki mark which calls into question this early nineteenth-century date. Interestingly, the use of mizuhiki appears to have been restricted to the gosho and inu-bako (dog box) forms and rarely appears in other ningyō genres.
Mizuhiki-de gosho
Edo period, 19th century
Height 14 inches
Rosen Collection
The seated gosho-ningyō depicted on pages 32-3 is constructed of a dense wood. Its weight suggests that it might be fashioned out of something other than the classic kiri (paulownia) wood typically employed in ningyō construction. Its large head, heavy arms, and full legs give it the quintessential mitsuwari feel described above. The head is tilted slightly upward and is topped by an elaborately painted mizuhiki presentation ribbon. A small lock of hair also tied with a ribbon is present at the nape of his neck. Unlike most gosho-ningyō, this particular image is not sexed. Rather, the haragake bib functions as a padded codpiece, with no sculptural form beneath. His sleeveless outer jacket is executed in a green chirimen silk crepe with a resist-dyed shōchikubai ("three friends of winter") motif of bamboo, pine, and plum. Additional gold-wrapped thread embroidery is used to highlight the leaves and blossoms as well as the snow-covered bamboo fence design. Following a trend that became quite common during the early nineteenth century, his fingernails and toenails are edged in red. His attribute is missing, so it is impossible to know what symbol he might have carried in his hands. The shōchikubai motif so elegantly depicted on his outer jacket and repeated in gold-wrapped thread embroidery on his haragake was generally used in the Edo period to convey a sense of auspiciousness rather than a specific theme, which might help us to deduce the missing element.
Seated Gosho-ningyō with Dog
As is true in many cultures around the world, the dog holds a special place in traditional Japanese society Protector, hunting partner, companion, the dog has fulfilled many roles throughout Japanese history. Symbolically, dogs have long been linked to fertility. They have also functioned as a protective spirit for the home and as a talisman against illness for children. Folk tales surrounding dogs abound, from the dog that aided Momotarō in his campaign against the ogres, to the tale of Hanasaka-jiji and the dog that led him to untold treasures. In the political realm, dogs even received special status under Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709). Nicknamed the "Dog Shogun," Tsunayoshi, under the influence of a Buddhist monk who strongly impressed upon him the Buddhist proscription against killing, enacted laws in 1694 forbidding the killing of any animal, including dogs. As a result, stray dogs multiplied rapidly, and totaled nearly 50,000 in Edo alone before Tsunayoshi's death in 1709 when the decree was rescinded.
The dog has also left a strong imprint on Japanese material culture. Dogs in sculptural form date back as far as the Jōmon period (12000-250 BC), where simple clay images of dogs and the presence of dog burial sites indicate their importance to this early culture. Beginning in the Heian period, the entrances to Buddhist temples were often flanked by koma-inu (Korean lion-dogs) which served to protect them from the approach of evil. In popular culture, paper images of dogs were placed on doors to ward off fire and theft. Similarly, an ideograph for dog was frequently placed on a child's head or attached to his clothing to protect him from evil. Spirit dogs (inugami) were said to aid individuals in achieving their goals, functioning as a familiar. At Hokkeji in Nara, the oldest continuously produced Buddhist charm is a clay dog (omamori-inu), said to help in childbirth, a custom believed to date from the time of Empress Kōmyō (701-60).
Within ningyō, the dog was frequently depicted in Saga form, seated beside a small boy, or, in one famous example, as an independent subject. Records indicate that in 1595, Tokugawa leyasu (1542-1616), founder of the Tokugawa shōgunate, commissioned two dolls from Eya Utanosuke, who delivered a mechanical drummer and a boy with a dog on a leash. Dogs also featured prominently among elegant papier mâché figures called goten gangu (palace toys), used as playthings within court circles. Usually depicting a standing puppy with a tightly curled tail and short floppy ears, the figure would be covered in gofun with painted designs on the sides. Similar construction techniques were employed in making another class of dog-shaped objects traditionally used within court culture: the inu-bako or inu-hariko. Inu-bako (lit. "dog box") were executed in pairs and depicted a reclining dog. Fashioned as a box, inu-bako functioned on multiple levels as fertility symbol, protective talisman, guardian for children, and display object used in conjunction with the Hina-matsuri Girl's Day celebrations.
The seated gosho-ningyō on page 35 wears an elaborately embroidered silk crepe haragake bib. On his head is a lacquered eboshi court-style hat. Next to him stands a small dog, swathed in a large silk crepe kerchief (kiribuse). Domestic animals in Japanese prints often received similar treatment, with dogs and cats depicted with large bibs around their necks. The dog here is crafted of papier mâché and covered in white gofun with finely modeled and painted features. Unlike goten gangu of dogs, which were largely stylized, the dog image here is quite naturalistically rendered with subtle modeling of its facial features and a sophisticated painting treatment for its fur.
Saga-ningyō of a dog Wood with gofun and raised lacquer designs
Edo period, 18th century
Height 14 inches
Kyoto National Museum
Seated gosho-ningyō with dog
Edo period, 19th century
Height 13 inches
Ayervais Collection
Dressed only in a bib, the gosho-ningyō's physiognomy is clearly visible. The arms have an almost inflated feel, puffing out just below the wrists. Incised lines around the elbow, at the knee, and along the soles of the feet contribute to this healthily corpulent effect. Interestingly, the bellies of the gosho-ningyō are rarely overly large or distended. The sex of the figure is chastely covered by the haragake. Rather than being a fashion element restricted to gosho-ningyō, woodblock prints frequently depict children clothed in just such a bib, with open backs, tied at the neck and secured around the middle by a cord. The embroidery treatment typically found on the haragake, however, tended towards the ornate and was more decorative than a child's daily wear bib would actually have been.
Karakuri Gosho-ningyō with Fox Mask
It was a great honor when the minister Tachibana no Michinari asked Kokaji Munechika (938-1014) to create a sword for the young Emperor Ichijō (980-1011). Michinari was acting on behalf of Ichijō who had dreamt that Kokaji had created for him the perfect blade, comparable
