About KEWPIE DOLL and SETO NOVELTY

About KEWPIE DOLL and SETO NOVELTY

Review of the exhibition "The Charm of the Ceramic Dolls"

Kiminari Hashimoto

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Since prehistory, the human being continued making HITOGATA which meant human 3D image Japanese with various expression in various times. For example, DOGUU which is the most primitive clay doll Japanese word, hopes that ancient people bring a descendant prosperity, and it is supposed that it was made. Chinese YHO and Japanese HANIWA are the clay idols that both were buried to the attendant with a dead person.

In addition, another ceramic doll are the lovely doll as the toy and an ornament piece which expressed the apparel of the times and lifestyle. The Japanese word subtitle of this exhibition is " NOVELTY, YHO, HANIWA, CLAY IDOL, and FIGURINE ". These words are not used in a lexical meaning and express what have been made with the role that local, is different each in the times when the Ceramic Dolls varies.

In this exhibition, "SETO NOVELTY" particularly greatly informed it. After World War II, "SETO NOVELTY" supported the ceramics industry of the Aichi, Seto district, but many Japanese people did not know it. Because it was a product for export only.

In the history of 100 years of "SETO NOVELTY", it is 34 years in the latter half that myself was related to it. I looked back on my field experience of "NOVELTY" production, and this exhibition gave me a chance to think about "NOVELTY", again.

The change of the three-dimensional expression in the doll. The unknown "SETO NOVELTY" which appeared on one "Seto ceramic ware" of six Japanese old kilns and land. And, Kewpie doll of the copyright character doll and the relations with the "SETO NOVELTY".

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Birth (Beginning) of KEWPIE DOLL and SETO NOVELTY

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"SETO NOVELTY" which began in 1914 is 100 years in this year. 100 years and thing, it to hear it, and to remember are that 2012 when it is new in memory was the 100th anniversary of the KEWPIE DOLL birth. On December 17, 1912 Rose O'Neill submitted KEWPIE DOLL to American Patent Office and then it approved on 1913. Therefore, birth of KEWPIE DOLL and the birth of "SETO NOVELTY" are the almost same time.

In exhibition room Chapter 4, there are two show glass cases. One show case was presentation of two kinds of original KEWPIE DOLL. And another show case was presentation of the recreation KEWPIE DOLL which was made for the KEWPIE birth 100th anniversary. Displayed two kinds of original KEWPIE DOLL, one was made in Germany, another one was made in Japan. The recreation KEWPIE DOLL, was plan and developed original mold in Japan, but the production was Guangdong CHINA, not made in Japan. KEWPIE DOLL put in these two display cases separately is felt to symbolize the history of SETO NOVELTY 100 years at the present.

Exhibition room Chapter 4 is presentation of "the transmission of the character doll".

It is the beginning of copyright character doll, and KEWPIE DOLL is shown with positioning to be related to SETO NOVELTY. In the show case of original KEWPIE DOLL, the different types of KEWPIE bisque doll are compared. One is made in Germany which original mold made by Rose O'Neill about 1912, and another one is made in Japanese Seto about 1915. Both two types doll was called TEKATSU NINGYOU, which moved both hands and attacked the pose, and could play. Of course, both two types doll performed production by order from Rose O'Neill. In about 1910 (early period of Taisho era), they were sold in the United States which was the world's largest novelty demand country. It means that the doll toy of the ceramics in particular was pleased with very much by children. A ceramics doll expresses that it spread from an ornament through the toy of children. These two KEWPIE dolls expresses that a production country turned into Japan of the Far East from Germany during only two or three years. Morimura Brothers (Noritake Company ltd) of New York that saw a doll toy boom in the United States started the trial manufacture of the doll for United States in 1913. And it is considered to be a beginning of novelty industry in Seto to have appointed Seto at the production base. A ceramics doll made in Japan is supplied to the United States after World War I breaks out in 1914 it replaced a porcelain doll made in Germany because of difficulty in production. This occurrence is what began the "SETO NOVELTY" industry develop. Therefore, we can consider the display of the original KEWPIE show case to be two symbolic dolls showing about the beginning of "SETO NOVELTY".

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KEWPIE of Bisque Dolls

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Speaking of a Western doll, a French doll in clothes made by cloth says the thing more than 100 years ago in that with Antique doll, but calls another name Bisque doll.

The bisque is the etymology same as a French language "biscuit" which mean two times firing. After firing it at a high temperature, the feel of a material that is near to the human skin of the bisque doll colors it and can express it by firing it at low temperature several times more.

 In bisque doll, there are three styles by the times. The earliest bisque doll called "Fashion type" to show trendy clothes. "Bebe type" (French Jumeau, Bru Jeune) which copied the figure of a lovely child was a golden age at the end of 19th century. And then, in the early 20th century, a doll "Character type" (Kestner & Co , Armand Marseille)  made in Germany which expressed the expression of the doll more appeared. Bisque doll changed to the whole body made by ceramic which hands and feet could move, from head part only made by ceramics. As for "Character type of bisque doll", most were produced in Germany. It is thought that production began as for the KEWPIE doll in Germany where the production of this "Character type of bisque doll" was most. The product which Morimura Brothers placed an order for in the Seto district is said to have made a model of German bisque doll. Many pieces of the early bisque doll was two different flesh color painting to express the softness of the skin on the white body porcelain. However, in that case, it is necessary to two times firing after high temperature firing. In the later times, the manufacturing method of the bisque doll changed to color body production which is mixed color pigment to porcelain soil to reduce the firing number of times. Recreation KEWPIE DOLL made by color clay ceramic.

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Recreation KEWPIE DOLL

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The recreation KEWPIE doll which displayed costume KEWPIE doll show case, reminds us a historical story of such(above) bisque doll. In addition, I feel this presentation to reproduce the history of the novelty from an old document at the same time. The body of the recreation KEWPIE doll reproduces "standing type KEWPIE" at the time of 1913. However, the costume of the doll made a model of a thing reproduced by Rose O'Neill KEWPIE INTERNATIONAL (ROKI) and was reproduced. ROKI's prototype of that costume made by cloth, was reproduced based on the monochrome illustration of a then Kewpie doll sold on clothes of the crepe paper from 1917 through 1919. This recreation doll was limited edition collection items which produced only 500 each for Japan only. This recreation doll was planned in Japan from about the end of 2005 with the goal of the 100th anniversary of KEWPIE doll. And it was produced in a Taiwanese maker of Guangdong province CHINA in 2006. The change of the production country as of 2006 began from an occurrence of 1985 retroactively to 20. The big change of "SETO NOVELTY" began at this time again, too.

 Strong yen advanced by `Plaza Agreement' of 1985 rapidly. In the novelty maker of Seto where export accounted for most ratios, most were driven into the business closing.

In addition, many SETO NOVELTY makers which continued head office function only in Japan have been relocating production overseas. In addition, other SETO NOVELTY makers consigned production to an overseas cooperation factory. The production country changed to from Japan (SETO) to Taiwan and then to mainland China and Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. There are many factories abroad, but there are not many factories which can produce things of the quality that the Japanese sense is enough for too much.

In such a meaning, I had trouble with looking for a good quality factory at the time of the production of recreation KEWPIE doll.

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"SETO NOVELTY" of the present continuous. And production except Japan

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What will the role that "SETO NOVELTY" served as in a ceramics doll, the history of the Seto novelty of 100 years be ? It concerning the production process think that is warm, and is sincere action and innovation and quality control. I often felt it in an overseas factory. I often saw the mind of the action to the industry that Japan performed in an overseas factory (Taiwanese trading company and maker) was inherited. And I feel that the role that an action to the copyright character manufacture such as Kewpie dolls served as for such Japanese style product management and quality control is big.

 We were shown to be the German Dresden kiln and Meissen kiln which made a model of it of "SETO NOVELTY" at this exhibition. And it was shown that the origin of the German ceramic dolls were porcelain of ARITA kiln and white porcelain dolls of Chinese DEHUA kilns. Most of production of current novelty products are over Chinese makers.

However, in late years I hear that factories discontinuing its business increase because a factory worker is short in China. The production area/country changes with the times, but even Seto develops an original novelty product, and plural makers performing an active action for the continuation exist. At this exhibition, I was able to feel one end of the light of "SETO NOVELTY" which would lead to active action in present continuous in the future desired.

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*SETO NOVELTY

"SETO NOVELTY" is a name used in the ceramics industry of Aichi. It is used as words to show the personal ornaments such as ceramics doll or the ornament as "a new thing" unlike daily necessity such as the tableware. It is the art industrial art object which "SETO NOVELTY" puts a polite process using many models one by one to produce complicated three-dimensional molding in large quantities, and is completed. "SETO NOVELTY" had the maker more than 300 in the 1960s, and the industry greeted the golden age in the 1960-70 generation.

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for Japan Kewpie Club NEWS #41

25.AUG.-01.SEP.2014

(Japanese and English sentence and photos by Kiminari Hashimoto)