Haruo Umezu born on May 23, 1926, as the eldest son of farmer Umezu Ichitaro in Kobikicho, Yonezawa City. In 1944, he entered the Naval Communications School, and the war ended. After the war, he worked as a craftsman at Yonezawa Industries and at a woodturning factory in Minamiharabayashi Nagumo in the city.
Around 1965, he began making kokeshi dolls at the recommendation of a collector, and his style solidified around 1969 when he began restoring the Kichitaro style. The early restored dolls had a slender white body decorated with floral patterns and were fine pieces with a childish look.
