工房朋について
Kobo Tomo is busy making dolls every day with about 15 staff members in a quiet residential area in Nara city.
Dolls wearing clothes centered around the Ichimatsu dolls that girls have always loved by using traditional materials such as gourd and glue (you can also take off your clothes and wear kimono instead) ), we make a variety of creative dolls, such as dolls that become small dolls when paired.
Knead materials together, make a head, draw a face, cut kimono, sew kimono, dress... Everyone is working hard and happily, following the image of the presiding officer and detailed instructions.
I hope that the most traditional thing will match the current sensitivity.
Chairman Haruyuki Morishige
[Biography]
Born in Osaka in 1947.
After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, after working as a high school social studies teacher and a preparatory school teacher, he decided to make a doll by learning the puppet material, which is the material of the doll, in his mid-thirties, and learned the production technique.
1983 Established Kobo Tomo in Tomigaoka, Nara. Since then, he has held solo exhibitions at department stores and galleries nationwide.
"Ichimatsu Dolls" (Mainichi Shimbun) in the work collection,
There is "Ichimatsu Dolls To Remember" (Kodansha International).
About dolls
-Material-
At Kobo Tomo, both Japanese and Western dolls are made using the same materials. It is best to use traditional materials such as gourd and glue () for our dolls, which is a side effect of our dolls. We use them because they can be left for a long time and can be repaired → linked. I will.
The windy hair of a girl invites nostalgia. For human hair, stick to human dolls first, and carefully stick it on the doll. Nylon threads and silk threads can be customized according to your request → Link.
The eyes are fitted with glass for artificial eyes.
-Process-
Kobo Tomo's dolls are made from traditional materials using their own unique manufacturing method. Mix the ingredients carefully and pour into a mold. Put your eyes in the meantime, take it out when it hardens, and dry it in a cool dark place for about 2 months. While polishing, heap up and engrave. It is a stage where the individuality of each doll comes out. After that, apply the topcoat with white powder, dry, and apply the face (eyebrows, eyelashes, lipstick). Paste the hair, assemble the limbs and torso, and complete the nude doll. It takes about 3 months to make one.
-Repair-
From the beginning, I thought that being unable to repair would not be the philosophy of a doll-a doll as a long-standing companion. Thirty-five years have passed since then, and the number of requests for repairs from the customers who initially purchased them has increased. Kobo Tomo's dolls are free of charge as after-sales service such as repainting of black powder and repairs that do not require faces (eyebrows, eyelashes, lipstick). Hair can be re-covered and some people bring their own hair. Basically, we will give an estimate after showing the actual thing, but it is also possible to send us a photo and make an estimate. Please feel free to contact us from here → link. *For dolls other than Kobo Tomo, we will quote after showing the actual thing.
※工房朋以外の人形の場合、実物を見せていただいてからのお見積もりとなります。なお現在は市松人形のみの修理受付とさせていただいております。
About kimono
-Old crack-
Kobo Tomo's dolls can be dressed up, and the kimono itself has its own characteristics. The material used in the old days is the one used for the kimono cloth, which was mainly used in the late Tokugawa period and the Meiji and Taisho eras. A doll that cuts old cracks from bats, furisode, children's clothes, etc. that are of the same quality as those in the museums and have the same quality as those of the best in those days. It is sewn up for. Even in modern times, we think that simple kimono without obi sashing etc. is sufficient for the kimono and the pattern of the obi that give a modern impression to the viewer.
-Your own kimono-
There are two other ways to wear doll costumes besides the old ones we have collected.
1. Original bespoke doll → link This is a new doll costume that you bring with you when you bring your own kimono, cloth, cloth, etc.
2. Ningyo Club Tomo At the Ningyo Club Tomo, a doll kimono class that is held once a month at Gallery Ningyo Tomo in Nara, you need to sew one stitch with your own hands. If you are interested, we will send you detailed information, so please feel free to request from here → link.
Kou Tomo's history and predecessor
Kobo Tomo has been making creative dolls such as Ichimatsu dolls every day at Tomigaoka, Nara City since 1983. The organizer, Haruyuki Morishige, and his mother, Masako Morishige, bring out to the present day a doll that pays close attention to its facial expressions and detailed gestures under the slogan of "a doll that we want".
This time, I would like to briefly introduce the history and background of the family involved in Kobo Tomo.
In 1919, Kobo Tomo, the grandfather of Haruyuki and Masako's father, Haruo Morishige, founded Morishige Shoten, a cosmetics wholesaler, in Sumiyoshi. In 1924, Masako was born.
In 1947 (Showa 22), we acquired land in Kyuhoji Bridge Higashizume and established it again with Morishige Shoten Co., Ltd. In the same year, Haruyuki was born as the eldest son. In 1961, Masako became the second president of Morishige Shoten. We also start handling musical instruments such as pianos.
In 1968, the doll sales business started because the head office was located in Matsuya-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, where many doll stores gather. I grew it up to become a doll specialty retail chain. Over the years, through the work of purchasing dolls and delivering them to customers, Masako touched a huge number of dolls. One day, my strong desire to make my favorite doll disappeared, and I left the company.
In 1983, Haruyuki Morishige established "Kotobo Tomo". Masako was in charge of making kimonos for dolls as he had been collecting old cracks as a hobby while working. In the same year, the third generation Tomoharu was born.
With the addition of Haruo Morishige, Masako, Haruyuki, and now the eldest son, Tomoharu, we are willing to change their shapes as the times continue to change, and we are always looking for what is needed in making dolls.
35 years have passed since the establishment of Kobo Tomo, including its predecessor, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the year. Without forgetting the spirit cultivated in the commercial city of Osaka, Kobo Tomo will continue to work hard on doll production while looking ahead.
