Fushimi dolls

These dolls are made near Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. They were first made using clay from Mt. Inari and are said to have the longest history in Japan. They are also the origin of clay dolls found all over the country. They are also called Inari dolls, and are also called "Fukakusa ware" after the name of the place where they are made. They are said to have originated from the production of clay figures and pottery by the Hajibe people, who were indigenous to this Fukakusa area since before the Nara period. They developed from pottery for rituals to the production of everyday items, and became an independent family business, and it is believed that clay dolls were eventually created as a side job. During the Genna era (1615-24) in the early Edo period, the Fushimi Merchants Association (a trade association) for the production and sale of dolls already existed. It is generally believed that clay dolls began when Ikaruga Kouemon, a subordinate vassal of Ukita Hideie, who was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, retired to the village of Fukakusa and made clay dolls as a living. Another theory states that clay dolls began when Ikaruga Kouemon, a potter in front of the gates of Tofukuji Temple, made a doll based on the seated Hotei statue in the Kaisan-do Hall of Tosonji Temple, a Rinzai sect temple near Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. In the Edo period, various clay dolls were sold as souvenirs from Kyoto on the Fushimi Highway and the approach to Inari Taisha Shrine. From the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, the number of kiln manufacturers was over 50, and there were more than a dozen retail stores, prospering. Sales channels spread not only to the Kinai region but also to Shikoku and Kyushu, and had a strong influence on clay dolls in various regions. Many works based on this prototype can be seen throughout the country.

The method of production involves kneading and stretching clay inside two clay molds, then packing it inside the mold and removing it to create a molded doll. This is then dried in the sun and fired. The bisque dolls taken out of the kiln are primed with chalk powder and finished by painting with mud paints. There are many types, and it is said that there were once as many as 3,000 pieces. Most of the dolls are linked to folk beliefs and good luck, such as those related to Inari faith, seasonal decorations, and moral stories. There are Hotei dolls to ward off fires, Narita-ya dolls that are dolls based on the 18 most famous Kabuki plays, various fox dolls, manju eaters, Saigyo, Ichimonushi, Tenjin, and Tomobiki dolls.

[Ryosuke Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

京都市伏見区伏見稲荷(いなり)大社付近でつくられる人形。稲荷山の埴土(しょくど)を用いて創始され、日本で最古の歴史をもつといわれる。全国各地の土人形の源流ともなっている。稲荷人形ともいわれ、製作地名から「深草焼」ともよばれた。奈良時代以前からこの深草の地に土着した土師部(はじべ)の埴輪(はにわ)、土器作りから発生したといわれ、祭祀(さいし)用土器から日常生活用品製作へと発展して独立した家業となり、やがて余技として土人形が生み出されてきたと思われる。江戸時代初期の元和(げんな)年間（1615～24）には、すでに人形製作販売の伏見商人仲間（同業組合）が存在していた。一般には関ヶ原の戦いで敗亡した宇喜多秀家(うきたひでいえ)の陪臣(ばいしん)、鵤(いかるが)幸右衛門が、深草の里に隠棲(いんせい)、土人形をつくり生業としたのが始まりと伝えられている。また、東福寺門前の焼き物師、人形屋幸右衛門に、伏見稲荷大社に近い臨済宗東尊寺開山堂の布袋(ほてい)座像を模してつくらせたのがおこりとする説もある。江戸時代には各種の土人形が、伏見街道や稲荷大社の参道で京土産(みやげ)として売られた。幕末から明治初年にかけては窯元(かまもと)と称するものが五十余軒、小売店も十数軒数えられるほどの繁栄を示した。販路は畿内(きない)はもとより四国、九州まで広がり、各地の土人形に強い影響を与えた。これを原型とする作品が全国に多くみられる。

　製法は、表裏二面の土型の内側に粘土をこね伸ばして詰め合わせたのち、型から離して型起こしの人形をつくる。これを天日で乾燥して焼く。窯から出した素焼人形は胡粉(ごふん)で下塗りし、泥絵の具で彩色して仕上げる。種類が多く、かつては3000点に達したという。稲荷信仰にちなんだもの、節供飾り物、教訓説話的なものなど、ほとんどが民間信仰や縁起に結び付いているのが特徴である。火難除(よ)けの布袋(ほてい)、歌舞伎(かぶき)十八番物を人形化した成田屋人形、各種の狐(きつね)物、饅頭(まんじゅう)食い、西行(さいぎょう)、一文牛、天神、友引き人形などがある。

［斎藤良輔］

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