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Celluloid Dolls
question from a friend
So my question is,
do you know anything about small celluloid figures that depict scenes from Japan?
I have collected 14 or so, the most common seems to be a geisha in a ricksha pulled by a man, other common themes are boats containing geisha or the immortals, and I have one wonderful one showing a man walking on a waterwheel to turn it and a woman carrying a yoke over one shoulder with buckets hanging from it.
Are these tourist items, I wonder,
or do they have some function in Japanese culture, on girl's day, perhaps?
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A small celluloid Daruma, about 3 cm high,
from my collection.
Not many of his brothers are well and alive these days, since they are easy to squeeze to death...
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CELLULOID KOBE CHARM ... DARUMA
... RETRACTING EYES
The little stick-eyes that go in and out are what make Kobe charms Kobe charms. They are named after the old Japanese Kobe toys that had mechanical features.
source : www.worthpoint.com
Koobe ningyoo 神戸人形 Kobe Ningyo
mechanical dolls from Kobe
. . . CLICK here for more Photos !
. Kobe dolls and Food .
Man drinking Sake
quote
These automata were first made between 1870 - 1920 at the port city of Kobe and sold along the docks as a cheap sailor's souvenir. All Kobe have moveable parts - eyes, tongues, heads, etc. These toys were activated by a knob on the side of a box containing the mechanism (older dolls had hand-crafted mechanisms). They play musical instruments, do gymnastics, drink sake, and etc. These are all hand-crafted one-of-a-kinds.
These figures have moon shaped faces and are created from polished ebony or blackened wood with pieces of bone or ivory accents. They may represent or be inspired by the black sailors who first arrived at Kobe around 1868. Rarely you can see a "blonde" wood version of a Kobe doll.
These are tiny toys! The largest known Kobe toy is 6-1/2" long and has 12 animated functions.
The early, hand-crafted Kobe toys up to c 1920 are the rarest and most valuable. Kobe toys were copied during the 1920's and 1930's by manufacturers/ importers and these are still collectible but not as finely made so therefore they are less rare and less desirable. Less valuable are the more modern manufactured copies.
source : www.lotzdollpages.com
CLICK for more photos! - kobi toys
. Folk Toys from HYOGO - Kobe, Himeji .
Daruma with popping-out eyes a la Kobe - Netsuke
from my collection
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seruroido ningyoo セルロイド人形 celluloid dolls
from Saikodo, Sapporo 彩古堂
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
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seruroido gangu セルロイド玩具 celluloid toys
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
celluloid masks セルロイドのお面
www.maboroshi-ch.com/cha/sae_18.htm
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maker of celluloid dolls in Tokyo, Adachi Ku
Hirai Gangu
東京足立区: 平井玩具製作所
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
セルや （ 平井 英一 ） Hirai Shop
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Toy Museum
Wooden Toys ＆ Celluloid Toys
「木製玩具・セルロイド玩具」
Collection of wooden and celluloid dolls from after WW2.
http://tensyoudo.blog71.fc2.com/blog-entry-116.html
This book is no longer available.
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Celluloid Dolls
By Denise Van Patten, About.com Guide
When celluloid was invented and first came to prominence in the 1870s, dolls were nearly all breakable and fragile--bisque and china dolls were easily shattered and papier mache and wax easily ruined. So, it wasn't a surprise that doll companies started experimenting with celluloid to mold dolls rather early on. By the early 1900s, celluloid dolls were plentiful, since celluloid was easily molded and generally inexpensive.
Sizes and Characteristics of Celluloid Dolls :
Celluloid dolls can vary in size from only an inch or two tall to as large as 30" for large Japanese celluloid baby or toddler dolls. However, most celluloid dolls tend to be smaller dolls due to the lightweight nature of the plastic and also due to its fragility.
Companies That Produced Celluloid Dolls:
Companies in Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the United States are among the hundreds that have produced celluloid dolls.
Read it all here
http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollprofiles/p/celluloiddolls.htm
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quote
Most Japanese celluloid doll makers focused on mass producing small, inexpensive carnival- type dolls, so it isn‘t very often that collectors find good quality sturdy examples of babies or toddlers. There were a few firms, however, that made a limited quantity, and although these cannot compare with the high quality of French and German baby dolls from the same period, they do deserve to be recognized.
Sekiguchi was one of the largest and most prolific manufacturers of celluloid toys in Japan. The company was founded in 1918 by
Moto and Tomokichi Sekiguchi for the sole purpose of manufacturing and exporting dolls to the United States. Their most recognized creation is a variation of the
Kewpie, which they called
Cupid. Later, during the 1920s, the naked carnival type
Boopie doll became popular. Often these were decorated with brightly colored feathers or crepe paper costumes and exported in great number to the United States where they sold for mere pennies.
On occasion, sturdy Japanese toddler or baby dolls can be found with the trademarks of Sekiguchi (a three lobed flower) the Royal Company, Ltd. (a fleur-de-lis) and
Sato Sankichi (SS inside rhombus). Often these are made in the likeness of Baby John, a doll which became so popular it was produced in a variety of sizes by a number of different manufacturers.
source
http://celluloidforever.com/CelluloidDolls.html
Sekiguchi Tomokichi 関口友吉
関口セルロイドﾞ加工所
Sato 佐藤セルロイド商店
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From the Daruma Museum
. Kewpie Daruma Dolls ... だるまキューピー Daruma Kyuupii
. Plastic Daruma Dolls
(Dreams Come True Object: My Project)
DCTO Jibun Project
. WASHOKU
Folk Toys (kyoodo gangu) and Food
. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .
celuloid
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