Suruga Hina Dolls Dolls Shizuoka Prefecture Cooperative Union Shizuoka Seasonal Doll Association 73-1 Nakamura-cho, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture tel 054-286-6639 Background The roots of Suruga hina dolls can be traced back to simple clay dolls known as neri-tenjin. Tenjin is another name for Sugawara Michizane, a Heian period (794-1185) scholar, who was respected as a god of learning. But the craft itself started when a local man called Aono Kasaku gathered around him people skilled in making things in clay and began making dolls. Then tenjin, which were dressed, were made and examples dating back to 1853 still exist today. By the end of the Edo period in 1868, more elaborately dressed dolls known as ishogi-tenjin were being produced. The individuality of each doll maker is seen in the choice of color and the pattern of the cloth as well as in the making of the body. However, these idiosyncrasies are even more marked in the arrangement of the postures. This is referred to as the udeori or furitsuke. It is the last process in the making of a doll and so important that even if a hundred dolls were set up in a line, it would still be possible for an expert to discern at a glance which doll was made by which maker. A wide selection of dolls is being made including those for the Hina Matsuri or doll festival. Others include figures from the past as well as a contemporary form of the neri-tenjin doll. There are now 45 firms employing 337 people, among whom are 17 government recognized Master Craftsmen.