This izumeko, or baby doll in a basket, features a boy doll who is just chest and head underneath a gold brocade blanket and sitting on a red pillow. The blanket and pillow are tucked into a woven straw basket. A miniature izumeko made from an acorn nut shell is attached to the brocade blanket by a long string, so that the miniature dangles from the side.
Izumeko are folk toys from northern Japan of a doll in a basket. They are modeled after the playpens/cribs formerly used to restrain infants and keep them warm while their parents were working indoors and outside. The word "izume" is an old word that means "little children" in the local dialect.
