The Ningyo: Art and Beauty of Japanese Dolls, the Japan Foundation in Cairo’s travelling exhibition, was held at the Gezira Art Centre in Zamalek in the period from 8 to 29 April. It was inaugurated in the presence of Ambassador of Japan to Egypt Iwai Fumio, Director of the Japan Foundation in Cairo Ayumi Hashimoto, Head of the Artistic Centres at the Fine Arts Sector Ali Saeed and Director of Gezira Art Centre Amir Al-Leithy.
Scheduled to move to Alexandria’s Museum of Fine Arts on 7 May, the exhibition explores the Japanese doll and its culture, nurtured in the history and folklore of Japan. This is a successor to the Japan Foundation’s highly popular travelling exhibition “The Dolls of Japan: Shapes of Prayer, Embodiments of Love.” Under the title “Ningyo”, which means “human shape” in Japanese, the doll culture that has been cultivated over the centuries is presented through a total of 67 carefully selected dolls, divided into 4 sections: “Ningyō to pray for children’s growth,” “Ningyō as fine art,” “Ningyō as folk art,” and “Spread of Ningyō culture.”
The fact that dolls are an indispensable part of the people’s daily lives is not limited to Japan, but the diversity of dolls and their delicate craftsmanship, backed by a deep love of dolls, could be said to be special characteristics of Japanese doll culture. This exhibition presents a comprehensive introduction to Japanese doll culture, from Katashiro and Amagatsu, which are considered the archetypes of dolls in Japan, to local dolls that reflect the climate and anecdotes from all across the country, to dress-up dolls that are popular in Japan as toys, and scale figures that are highly regarded around the world.
“We appreciate that each doll in the exhibition will be warmly welcomed all over the world, and that many audiences will experience the charm of Japanese dolls,” said Ayumi Hashimoto, director of the Japan Foundation.
Special events were held in conjunction with the exhibition, featuring Nakamura Hiromine, a traditional Japanese doll artist. At the Japan Foundation and Gezira Art Centre, Hiromine gave a lecture entitled “Japanese Dolls: Embodying Human Prayers,” a workshop on Kabuki Doll colouring.
Hiromine is the fourth generation and future head of Nakamura Ningyo. Born in 1986, he has tasked himself with the question, “if a skilled doll maker from the Edo period were to suddenly time-travel to the present day, what kind of dolls would they create?” By focusing on both past and present, Hiromine has worked tirelessly in elevating classical Japanese dolls to the level of contemporary works of art. He has accomplished this by utilising traditional sculpting and colouring techniques that have remained unchanged since ancient times.
The Japan Foundation is the Japanese government’s only institution dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programmes throughout the world. Its Cairo branch serves the whole of the Middle East and Africa.
The exhibition is on view until 24 May, daily except Mondays, Fridays and national holidays, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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