Shoju Okano

...A small wooden doll with coloring. Most wooden dolls are decorated with whitewash, raised colors, or cloth, but this doll is characterized by its use of the material and expresses the flavor of wood carving. It is also called "Nara's one-sword carving" because it is carved using the one-sword carving technique. It is said that the dolls were first made by Okano Heiemon (Matsuju), a Kasuga cypress craftsman from Nishimikado-cho, Nara, who made them on the side of his family business, in analogy with the Takasago Okinaou-na and Shojo-yo dolls that were attached to the island stands of the Kasuga Shrine in Nara and the hats of the flute players of Dengaku-hoshi in the early Edo period.

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Okano Matsutoshi" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…木彫彩色の小型人形。木彫人形の多くは木地に胡粉（ごふん）塗，盛りあげ彩色，または裂（きれ）地などを着せ付けるが，この人形は素材を生かして木彫の味を表現したのが特徴である。一刀彫技法を用いているので，〈奈良の一刀彫〉ともいう。江戸時代初期に奈良春日神社の祭具の島台や田楽（でんがく）法師の笛役の笠などに付けた高砂の翁姥（おきなおうな）や猩々（しようじよう）などの人形になぞらえて，奈良西御門町の春日檜物職（ひものしよく）岡野平右衛門(松寿)が，家業のかたわらこの人形製作をしたのが始まりという。…

※「岡野松寿」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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