Hakota Dolls

It is said that Bingoya Jihei, a peddler who arrived from Bingo (present-day eastern part of Hiroshima prefecture) during the Tenmei era (1778-81), was so captivated by a simple, humble girl of Kurayoshi that he made a doll fashioned after her.
Hariko or papier-máché is made by pasting washi paper over a mould made from paulownia wood to make the papier-máché. Once dry, the papier-máché is then removed from the mould and given a gofun white undercoating before colour pigments are used. Glue is finally applied to create a shiny surface.