Blog: Conservation of a 'living doll'
Iki ningyo or 'living doll' wearing a full suit of armour, Japan, 19th century. Museum no. M.55-1922
Iki ningyo (literally 'living dolls') are Japanese life-size figures that were made to look like as realistic as possible. Popular in 19th century Japan, they were often displayed both individually and in tableaux, frequently depicting events from history and legend. They were also extremely popular at international exhibitions where they were displayed as genre scenes.
Matsumoto Kisaburo (1826-1892) and Yasumoto Kamehachi (1828-1900) are considered masters of the form, and produced figures that were so realistic they were said to be difficult to differentiate from humans.
The V&A owns three such figures, two wearing full samurai armour and a third female figure kneeling in a palanquin. The conservation of the iki ningyo wearing a full suit of armour, dating from the 19th century is described in this blog.
Follow our Textile Conservator Sarah Glenn as she works on the conservation of the Japanese iki ningyo (living doll).
Read Sarah Glenn's conservation blog
Links
Alan Scott Pate describes iki ningyo in detail
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National Diet Library Tokyo - article on woodcuts showing iki ningyo diplays
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Harvard Journal of Asiatic studies article on The Carnival of Edo
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The real Hananuma Masakichi?
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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