A vintage Japanese Fushimi clay doll (伏見人形), depicting a young boy in a traditional praying pose known as Gasshō (合掌).
This delightful figure features a gentle, smiling expression, a green outer robe (haori), and vibrant blue trousers (hakama). Its hand-painted details and simple, rounded form reflect the rustic beauty and warmth of traditional Japanese folk art.
Fushimi Ningyō (伏見人形) originated in the Fushimi district of Kyoto and flourished during the Edo period. Considered one of Japan's oldest traditions of clay folk dolls, these figures were traditionally made from moulded clay, fired, and decorated with colourful pigments.
Gasshō Ningyō reflects Japan's longstanding traditions of prayer and religious devotion. Such devotional figures are associated with the culture of temple and shrine pilgrimages that flourished during the Edo period, including practices connected with Jizō worship. Families visited temples and shrines to pray for children's health, safe childbirth, and household peace.
Related folk figures also hold symbolic objects, including prayer beads (nenju), manjū (traditional Japanese sweet buns), or auspicious flowers and plants.
