This painted papier-mâché Miharu ningyo (doll) represents a dancing female figure. She is wearing a brightly colored kimono in red, yellow, green, pale blue, dark blue, lavender and white, and holds an open sensu (folding fan) above her head in her right arm. The sensu is painted red, yellow and white. The figure is wearing a yellow and black headdress. Her hair and facial features are painted on in black, with the exception of the lips, which are red. The sleeves of her kimono are flung out to the side to show movement as she dances. The figure is attached to a thin wooden base, chipped in the back.
Miharu ningyo (Miharu dolls) originate from the city of Miharu in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. They were traditionally made as souvenirs for traveling samurai during the Edo period (1600-1868), and were made out of paper because of a shortage of clay. Today Miharu dolls continue to be made of paper because of the added flexibility and expression of the material.
