Home / Events / Fifth Anniversary Special Exhibition Exhibition：The History of Iwatsuki Ningyo

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Fifth Anniversary Special Exhibition Exhibition：The History of Iwatsuki Ningyo

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Saitama takes pride in being the prefecture in Japan with the highest total shipments of hina ningyo and other ningyo for seasonal celebrations. Iwatsuki ward in the city of Saitama, is one of Japan’s most important ningyo production centers. Iwatsuki Ningyo and Edo Kimekomi Ningyo, both of which are made in Iwatsuki, have received the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI)’s designation as Traditional Crafts. Stroll through this neighborhood and the signs for ningyo shops and workshops catch the eye. Here craftsmen are creating ningyo, every day.

In the Edo period, Iwatsuki was the Iwatsuki domain castle town and a post station on the Nikko Onari-michi, the pilgrimage route to the Nikko Toshogu, where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined. In modern times, it flourished as a ningyo production center. In this exhibition, we reflect on Iwatsuki’s history, displaying materials related to the daimyo families that ruled the Iwatsuki domain, and then introduce the process of its transition from castle town to “Ningyo Town.” The exhibition includes gorgeously costumed hina ningyo and charming Edo kimekomi ningyo, with their rich range of expressions, that Iwatsuki craftsmen, with their masterly skills, have created. We invite you to enjoy the world of ningyo, a quintessential aspect of Japan’s traditional culture.

Schedule

Oct 4 (Sat) 2025-Nov 30 (Sun) 2025