Japan Kokeshi Museum

The Japan Kokeshi Museum in Naruko Onsen displays about five thousand wooden dolls from across the country. The collection shows how different regions developed their own styles and methods of craftsmanship over time.

Kokeshi dolls began as toys for children but evolved during the Edo period into valued pieces of artistic craftsmanship. This shift reflected how traditional techniques gained respect and recognition in Japanese society.

Artisans demonstrate the turning process daily, shaping maple and dogwood wood into traditional dolls using hand-operated lathes. Visitors watch how each figure is created through techniques passed down through families for generations.

You can join workshops where you paint your own kokeshi doll and buy authentic pieces directly from the museum shop. International shipping is offered if you want to bring purchases home with you.

The collection includes rare pieces donated by Kaname Fuzakawa, who spent his life studying how kokeshi dolls were made across Japan. His effort to document these methods preserved knowledge that might have otherwise disappeared.