竹中重男
たけなか しげお
Clothes make the man
Costume-clad dolls involve designing the doll’s appearance, commissioning a doll head maker to create a paulownia plaster head, selecting suitable fabric, cutting and sewing cloth garments, dressing the doll, and positioning the limbs. Over 100 meticulous steps are completed to produce dolls such as hina dolls and samurai dolls.This division of labor among fabric makers, head sculptors, hairstylists, and doll artisans is believed to have been established during the Edo period.
About the Craftsman
For three generations—his grandmother Tsuruko, his father Kosuke, and himself—he has crafted dressed dolls. He began assisting with the work as a child and became a full-time artisan in 1957. Amidst the increasing division of labor among doll fabric makers, head sculptors, and hairstylists, he possesses the high skill to handle the entire process from creating the prototype, assembling the torso, to dressing the doll. Furthermore, as a dollmaker, he oversees the overall design, handling the entire planning process from conception to completion.Currently, he runs the Takenaka Hina Doll Workshop together with his wife, Yoshie. The workshop primarily produces hina dolls and seasonal festival dolls.
Achievements
- Designated as a holder of an intangible cultural property registered by Arakawa Ward in fiscal year 1988.
- Certified as a Tokyo Traditional Craftsman in fiscal year 1989.
- Designated as an Intangible Cultural Property Holder by Arakawa Ward in fiscal year 2005.
- Certified as a Tokyo Meister (Tokyo’s Outstanding Skilled Worker) for Fiscal Year 2006.
- Certified as a Traditional Craftsman by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in fiscal year 2007.
Contact Us
- Location: 1-21-7 Machiya, Arakawa Ward Limited Liability Company: Takenaka Hina Doll Workshop
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Closed Saturdays and Sundays, except January through April when open daily)
- Phone: 03-3892-9969
- Introduction Video: Living with Tradition—Costumed Dolls by Shigeo Takenaka