Dollieh Sanctuary

i just found this lovely Japanese decorative "Hikata" doll at my local GOODWILL for around $20.

She is LARGE, about the size of a VOLKS Super Dollfie, i'd say, about 30-odd in. or so.
she is of the traditional "Hikata" variety of decorative Geisha dolls,
so, unfortunately, she lacks an actual body under the non-removable fabric Kimono,
but that drawback aside, she is a Magnificent display piece.

these are known as "Ningyou" dolls. this one, specifically, is by the "OKAMA NINGYOU" Brand.

these were once fairly common in Japan as gifts to a newlywed couple,
and as home furnishings for personal household religious shrines and such.

Ningyou dolls such as this one were among the highest quality ever made.
these sorts of dolls have been around for at least 40/60 years, IIRC,
and were common souvenirs of U.S. military servicemen stationed in Asia
back in the Cold War era when the U.S. actually maintained significant permanent presence abroad.

i believe the doll i have here dates to sometime in the 80's~90's, and was among the zenith
of quality and realism in this now seemingly fading/lost Japanese art.

imagine the quality and detail of today's VOLKS Super Dollfies,
matched with the exquisite old-world elaborate detail of this Ningyou dolls' Kimono...



She does have a rather lovely, Serene sort of expression. i believe i shall be calling her "Miyuki"

I actually got sent a similar doll, though I think she had a much simpler dress and was smaller, from somebody stationed in Japan in the early 2000s. She stayed a little while, and then went to live with another friend, because I didn't have anywhere to put the poor thing and I didn't like standing her on the floor.

I saw where someone turned one of those into Nijika from Transformers, once.

Wonderful find! Especially that large.