PUPPET, Awaji

Female Japanese puppet. Body made of wood and painted white. Facial features consist of black painted on eyebrows. The rim of the eyes are painted black. The eyes can move and are grey with very wide black pupils. The hands are carved and bend at the wrist, knuckle and finger joints. The nose, eyelids and finger joints are high- lighted with coral paint . The neck and both elbow joints also bend. These joints are controlled by strings which connect up with rods attached to the upper arms . These rods control the movements of the puppet. The puppet has no legs and stands on a wooden prop. When the puppet is lifted off the wooden prop, another rod can be found at the back of the puppet. This rod controls the opening and closing of the eyes. The puppet's attire and hairdo is typical of Japanese traditional dress. The floor length kimono is embroidered with coral, apricot, peach and a small amount of black thread on a creme background. It is lined with red and white material. A very wide sash circumferences the waist. It is heavily embroidered with red, gold, silver and white thread on a black background. Three other sashes in turn go around the wide sash. A red and white nylon sash is tied just under the breast, two foam filled creme coloured cords are knotted at waist level and a white patterned sash is tied at hip level. The hem of the kimono is trimmed with a wide red band of material. An orange robe with kimono sleeves is worn over the kimono It is embroidered with flowers, leaves and gold speckles. The leaves and stems of the flowers are green and gold, whilst the petals are an array of colours such as white, yellow, blue and red. The robe is also trimmed with a band of red material. The puppet's hair is pulled up and arranged in a bun in the centre-back of her head. The bun is actually formed by hair which has been rolled over an oval piece of foam covered in the same material as the robe. 4 tufts of hair are arranged from the hairstyle. Two tufts are arranged over the forehead and are level with each eyebrow and the other tufts cover the ears. Two tassels hang to the breasts also falling from the ears. These tassles resemble a Jewish Rabbi's curls in style except they are straight. The hair is black in colour. The actual hairline is level but in the centre of it a widows peak has been painted in. A number of articles adorn the hairstyle. Most prominent is a frontlet (tiara). It consists of four rows of silver flowers made of paper and wire. Seven pink cotton and wire butterflies are strewn across the flowers. The frontlet is trimmed with thin rectangular pieces of foil which hang in a fringe over the forehead. A small red material bow is tied at the base of the bun and arranged under that is another bow made of silver and red cardboard. A gold thread nest-like hair piece with a red flower in the centre of it is arranged on each side of the bun above the ears. On the very top of the bun is an intricate gold thread bow that has two tassels. A small hair pin in the hair is forked with a round disc at one end. The disc has a floral and bird pattern on it. From the disc hung six thin chains with a small flower shaped disc at the end of it. Now there are five chains remaining with only three floral discs attached to the chains. The hairpin is made of silver metal. Stashed into the sash are two small separate items. One is a red wallet embroidered with yellow, gold, green and pink thread. One part of the wallet opens out and contains a small mirror in the centre. There is also a small pocket which is stuffed with two long rectangular pieces of Japanese newspaper. The other half of the wallet is loosely stitched together with red herringbone stitch and a small notepad size piece of card has been slipped into the area. A piece of hooped material slips over the wallet to keep it from opening. A small cloth ball hangs from this hoop by fine thread as further decoration. The other item is a ruler length and shaped piece of card covered in the same material as the kimono and folded in half. This is in turn tied up by thick red thread looped a number of times and forming two flower shapes on the front. The Awaji Puppet Theatre Doll, Yaegaki-Hime (or Princess Yaegaki) is the heroine of an adventurous love story. Japan in the 16th century was an arena of the rivalry of samurai (warrior)-lords. Yaegaki-Hime's fiance was an ambitious samurai-lord and once he fell into great difficulty. Perceiving her lover's danger, she rushed to the battlefield with the help of a white fox, the guardian spirit of the shrine Suwa (an old shrine by a beautiful lake), and after a breath-taking adventure rescued him from trouble. The Awaji Puppet Theatre is a traditional local art original originated from a common people's dramatical entertainment of Awaji Island in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture. The puppetry is characterized by the simplicity and vigouousness in expressing human feelings. The puppet was presented by the Governor of Hyogo to the Premier, Sir Charles Court during his official visit to Kobe in December 1981. She was displayed in the foyer of the Beaufort Street wing from about 1984 to 1989. Large label with information about puppet (repeated above) in box with puppet. See also H89/948 Stand for puppet.

Department: 

Collection

History Collection

Collection Item Data