Miss Hiroshima (Friendship Doll)
Artist
Takizawa, Toyotarō (Kōryūsai II)
(Japanese, 1888 - 1966)
Date1927
OriginJapan
MediumGofun head, arms, hands, legs, and feet; glass eyes; human hair; embroidered silk clothing
Dimensions32 in. (81.3 cm)
ClassificationsDoll
Credit LineCarolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III Art Purchase Fund
Object number2018.18
Label TextToyotarō Takizawa (Kōryūsai II) (Japanese, 1888-1966)
Miss Hiroshima (Friendship Doll)
Gofun (ground oyster shell and animal glue paste) head, arms, hands, legs, and feet; glass eyes, human hair, embroidered silk clothing, 1927
Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III Art Purchase Fund
This doll was part of the historic doll exchange between children in America and Japan in 1927. In the spring of that year, the “Committee on World Friendship Among Children” sent over 12,700 dolls to Japan as a token of friendship and goodwill. Japan reciprocated in November, 1927 with 58 large dolls made by specialized craftsmen from Tokyo and Kyoto. The dolls sent to the United States as “Ambassadors” were of the Ichimatsu-type, had flexible hip, knee, and ankle joints, and stood about 32 inches tall. Their size and special treatment was to make up for their smaller number than those received from America.
Each doll represented a prefecture or major city in Japan, as well as the Imperial family. They each held a personalized steamship ticket and a Goodwill Passport for travel, and were supplied with accoutrements that included lacquer chests filled with clothing, tea services, shoes, and grooming utensils. Formal welcoming parties greeted the dolls at each US port of call. All dolls were placed with institutions in major cities. After the beginning of WWII, and especially after 1941 when Japan entered the war, the dolls were removed from public view. Many were given away, ended up in private hands, or perished through neglect. The whereabouts of 16 of the original 58 dolls are unknown.
With their complicated travel schedules in 1928-1930, many of the dolls’ identities had become confused prior to their final placement in cultural institutions across the United States. This particular friendship Doll was rediscovered in 1997, and it remains unclear where she was originally placed. Her identity as the original Miss Hiroshima is confirmed by the crest on her kimono, displaying the Kaga Umebachi or Kaga plum blossom crest of Hiroshima Prefecture.
The Friendship Doll currently at the Baltimore Art Museum, mistakenly known as Miss
Hiroshima, is actually the original Miss Yamaguchi. Miss Hiroshima’s original furnishings are scattered among several American museum collections.
Status
On view
Rochard, Antoine Edmond (French, b. 1836)
about 1868
