Vintage japanese mother in kimono with baby on back doll, hand made japanese doll top

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

vintage japanese mother in kimono with baby on back doll, hand made japanese doll

(listing for boxed doll only)

A very lovely old doll reminding us of daily life and past times in Japan, when women carried their babies on their backs, onbu style using onbuhimo.

The doll is beautifully made. She wears a pretty hand sewn green and red silk kimono. Her face is plaster and she has sweet bright red lips and pale pink accents on her cheeks and upper eyelids. Her big brown eyes are made of glass and she wears a headband around her bob hair cut. The baby sitting high up on her back, taking in all around, is adorable, with the cutest facial expression and messy hairstyle!

The doll is attached to a kiri wood stand with a carved accent on the base and comes in it's original kiri wood storage box to protect it from moisture and insect damage.

The doll dates to the early Showa era and is in good condition for it's age. There is slight discoloration and markings on her kimono and white tabi socks. One of the fingers on her right hand has a small chip and the thumb has a crack at the base. Overall she is an unusual and charming doll that makes a wonderful Japanese interior accent.

- doll measures 25.5 cm (10") tall x 14.5 cm (5.7") wide x 12 cm (4.7') deep including stand
- box measures 29 cm (11.4") x 17 cm (6.7") x 13 (5.1") cm.
- weighs 550 gm.

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For the vase or other vases, please click this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=28200544

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ONBUHIMO
The Onbuhimo carrier originated in Japan. Onbuhimo can be divided into two words; "onbu" means piggyback or to carry on the back and "himo" means a cloth entwined with string which has a width of about 7 - 8 cm (2.7 - 3.1".)

Traditionally, the Japanese had to virtually combine work with parenting, so it was normal for babies and children to spend time with their parents while both parents worked. Babies and infants were usually carried on their mothers' backs while the parents worked, for example, in the rice paddies. If not on their mothers' back, babies would be carried the same way by grandmothers or siblings while the parents worked.

The original Onbuhimo was made of a piece of cloth entwined with a string. The baby would be placed under the kimono so it was next to the mother, then the himo was tied over the kimono to secure the baby on the mother. The baby was always secured high on their mother's back so as to be able to look over their mother's shoulder and see the world around them. It was also important to place the baby high enough so it could interact with the person carrying them. The method of carrying babies like this was a common practice for centuries in Japan.

This method changed in the 1930s during industrialization when more commercialized baby carriers were developed. Although the Onbuhimo was stilled used, carriers like Mei Tai from China also began to be used. The Mei Tai was made of a rectangular piece of fabric called the seat squab. This piece of material had four straps on each side. The upper straps were used as shoulder straps and the lower straps fastened around the hips. The difference between the Chinese Mei Tai and the Japanese Onbuhimo was that the Onbuhima traditionally never used a hip belt.

In the late 1960s Onbuhimo baby carrier was optimized. Japanese producers fixed loops to make binding the himo across the chest easier. At that time, some mothers found fault with the crossed straps because they felt their breasts were too emphasized. So, the Onbuhimo evolved into a type of rucksack in which the baby was placed. Eventually, the art of back carrying faded away and the Onhuhimo is rarely used today.

KIRI WOOD STORAGE BOXES
Kiri, or paulownia, is a very light but strong wood prized for top it's ability to keep away insects and to regulate humidity to an optimal level. That's why Japanese women use a kiri wood chest to store their precious kimonos. No mould and no moth holes.