Production Process of Japanese Ito-Jime Dolls

Japanese Ito-Jime dolls are a unique type of doll created using a technique devised by the late master doll maker Jusaburo Tsujimura, who gained fame for crafting the puppets featured in NHK's celebrated show Shin Hakkenden.

One of the most distinctive aspects of these dolls is that they are made entirely without the use of clay. Instead, the entire figure—from the face to the tips of the hands and feet—is shaped using a core made of wood wool (shavings), which is carefully molded into form with a traditional Japanese iron called a wagote.

This technique lends the dolls a distinctive softness and an almost lifelike quality. 

Production Process
The doll is completed through the following steps:

1. Filling a bag-shaped piece of tenjiku fabric (for the head and torso) with wood wool.

2. Tightening the structure with thread.

3.Shaping the face using a heated iron.

4.Attaching the head to the torso.

5.Covering the face with fabric and painting the facial features.

6. Styling the hair with dyed "suga thread."

7.Crafting the hands and feet, selecting kimono fabric, and sewing it.

8. Attaching the hands and feet, dressing the doll in the kimono, and finalizing the piece.