$900
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Description
5" (13 cm.) Classic gosho-ningyo with wood body covered overall in a fine gofun with painted details including okymayu sky brows of the nobility, and silk fiber hair patch, depicted in a prone/crawling position, with rich silk crepe kimono with long trailing sleeves, a white silk front bib and a tasseled silk mamori-boko charm bag, and resting atop a purple silk cushion. Script signature on foot bottom translates to "crossing the river", apt description of the ningyo's pose. Edo Period, 19th century. Exhibited Mingei International Museum (2005). Published Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll, p. 24. Haihai or crawling baby gosho are seen as being directly related to the ancient hoko or stuffed crawling baby doll placed at a child's bedside for protection. While the hoko is made entirely of stuffed silk, the haihai is, generally, a fully rendered doll with the body carefully carved to depict a crawling baby raised up on its arms. In gosho form they loose their talismanic properties and, instead, are adored for the kawaii (cute) factor. Okymayu skybrows are a beauty affectation employed by both women and men of the nobility to indicate noble status. The natural eyebrows were completely shaved and two small smudges were painted much higher on the forehead. Okymayu are frequently found on hina-ningyo and also on Boy's Day dolls depicting an imperial character, but the use of okymayu skybrows on an infant is unusual and here serves to underline its nobility.