10/28/2026
Meet “Living Doll” No.171!
She’s beautiful, she’s mysterious, and, frankly, a little bit unsettling. She may even be a little bit haunted.
So, of course, we fell in love with her!
Japan’s tradition of making living dolls (Iki Ningyu) became popular in the 1850’s and continued through the mid 1900’s.
No.170 was made in Kyoto c.1930. She came with her original wood box and kimono
Living dolls were prized for their hyper realism. The eyes were made of glass, hair used was usually human hair, teeth (if showing) were polished bone, and realistic skin tone was achieved through paints made with ground oyster shell.
