Living Doll - Ikiningyo

Japanese: 生人形 - いきにんぎょう

A life-size doll that looks as if it were a living human being. It can also refer to a spectacle in which several dolls are made and exhibited under a single theme. Kamehachi (1826-1900), the son of Yasumoto Zenzo, a Buddhist sculptor from Kumamoto, and his disciple Matsumoto Kisaburo (1825-91), are well-known. It is said that Kamehachi first produced living dolls in Osaka. His work "Forty-seven Habits of the Ukiyoe," which he exhibited in Kumamoto in 1860 (Man'en 1), was purchased by Shanghai, China in 1875. His later works "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Next)" and "The Southwestern War" are also famous. Matsumoto, on the other hand, exhibited "Foreign Figures" in Osaka in 1854 (Ansei 1), and began his career in Edo the following year.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

あたかも生きた人間のように見える等身大の人形。または，一つのテーマのもとに何体もの人形を作って展示する見世物を指す。熊本の仏師安本善蔵の子亀八(1826‐1900)と，門弟の松本喜三郎(1825‐91)が著名。亀八の生人形製作は大坂が最初という。1860年(万延1)に熊本で見せた《浮世四十七癖》は，75年に中国，上海へ買われて行く。のちの《東海道五十三駅（つぎ）》や《西南戦争》も名高い。一方の松本は，1854年(安政1)に大坂で〈異国人物〉を見せ，翌年から江戸で活躍する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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