Saitama City Iwatsuki Ningyo Museum

Iwatsuki, located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan’s largest production center for traditional Japanese dolls, is known as a doll-making town. Many doll artisans still live and work here today. Opened in 2020, the Iwatsuki Ningyo Museum preserves the culture and history of Japanese dolls for future generations.

Japan has a distinctive doll culture exemplified by hina dolls, which are displayed during Hina Matsuri, an annual festival held on March 3 to pray for the healthy growth of girls. The tradition dates back to the Edo period (1603–1868).

The permanent exhibition has two main sections. One explains the process of making Japanese dolls through displays of tools and videos showing artisans at work, with English narration available. The other presents dolls from the museum’s collection, centered on works collected by the Nihonga painter Nishizawa Tekiho (1889–1965). Visitors can view a wide variety of Japanese dolls at any time, including hina dolls displayed during Hina Matsuri and creative dolls made as works of art.

The museum currently holds more than 5,000 high-quality dolls from a wide range of genres and regularly hosts special exhibitions.