Japanese dolls ningyo with their own hands

Ningyo, which in Japanese means "having the form of a man", has an ancient history that goes back to the depths of centuries. The first figures are dated by archaeologists during the period of Jomon, at first they served as talismans. During the Kofun period (300-700), clay figures were installed on the graves, which guarded the peace of the deceased. Since the Edo era, Japanese dolls have lost their sacred purpose and began to be made just like souvenirs and children's toys. They are especially popular before the Children's Holiday, Hinamatsuri. Since 1936, the skill of making these figures has been called the national treasure of the country.

And we will practice. Maybe we can not achieve the title of "ningen kokuho", which the government of the Land of the Rising Sun deserves real masters, but Japanese dolls with their own hands - it's always stylish and elegant. What do we need to arm ourselves for the first experience? Paper, wood, clay, cloth, scissors, ropes, live chrysanthemums ... and own imagination. The latter is very useful to us. So, what exactly will we do? After all, there are many kinds of dolls.

Let's try to build the most elementary variant - from colored napkins. This Japanese doll is very simple to manufacture. A special paper is produced in her homeland, but we will use beautiful dense napkins. It is especially important to find colorful and variegated napkins for a kimono. We cut out the details: an oval face from white paper, a hairdress, clothes - all in duplicate. Billets of kimono we lay on top of each other and bend the upper edge of one of them, imitating the collar. We put the head in, glue it. Now we swaddle in the same way as we put on a kimono. Place the wrinkles with a belt made of paper of a different color.

Next, you need to make lush sleeves: folded into 3 layers of a strip of napkin fold in half and glue the back of the figure to the figure. The finishing touch: a magnificent hairdo. Take the corrugated black paper, cut out the silhouette of the intricate Japanese hairstyle and glue it to the head. The doll is ready. By the way, people like Japanese dolls, like the Slavs, do not have.

Our eastern neighbors sincerely believe that the Japanese dolls of kokeshi served as the prototype for Russian dolls.

This is an obvious exaggeration, although there is a visible similarity between these two kinds of wooden figures.

Both are devoid of legs, and their hands are only drawn. But the kokeshi are not hollow and do not contain any "surprise" inside.

In addition, the head is attached to the body of a cylindrical shape. So they are more like a "snowman" made of wood, decorated and varnished.

If you know how to draw, but do not grind a piece of wood, you can create Japanese kokeshi dolls from a jar of cream (lower tier) and a ball of deodorant (top). We glue it, wrap it with white napkins, ground, paint and varnish. To the head you can glue hair from black hair. But the kiku-ningyo doll will delight not only the eye, but also the sense of smell. From the bamboo make a skeleton of a female figure in a kimono. Face and other open body parts close the papier-mache. But the kimono inside the frame nabeyte moist moss, and outside, stick this soft pillow cut alive chrysanthemums with small flowers.