This small, sublime flat doll is called tachi-bina and is from Japan. Made to serve as a temporary abode for kami (god) so that the kami could dwell in the human realm and temporarily participate in the community, these dolls were made of stiffened cloth and paper. The head is carved wood covered with gofun, a mixture of ground oyster shells and animal glue. This is a male tachi-bina and it measures 10” high by 5" wide. Edo period.  #8058  $350  SALE  $275

Please reference: Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll by Alan Scott Pate, pp. 93-94.