Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

JAPANESE DOLL

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1930

Materials

WOOD, COTTON, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

5

Height

16.8

Length

12

Width

5.5

Description

.1) DOLL. JAPANESE FIGURE IS WEARING COLORFUL ORANGE KIMONO. DOLL'S FACE AND HANDS ARE PLASTIC (PORCELAIN??) AND BODY IS WRAPPED WOOD. LEFT HAND IS MISSING AND HAIR ON HEAD IS FALLING OUT. DOLL IS HOLDING CLOTH DRUM ON WOOD SHAFT IN RIGHT HAND. .2) STAND. WOOD STAND HAS RECTANGULAR BASE AND TAPERED WOOD ROD. A PIECE OF MEDICAL TAPE IS ON BOTTOM WITH "NAKAYAMA" HAND PRINTED ON IT. *UPDATE* AS OF 2011 INVENTORY, NO. PIECES HAS BEEN INCREASED FROM 2 TO 5. TWO OF THE EXTRA PIECES (THE LEG AND HAIR) WERE FOUND LOOSE ON THE SHELF. THE PIECES ARE: 1. JAPANESE DOLL 2. WOODEN STAND 3. DRUM (APPEARS TO HAVE ALWAYS BEEN UNATTACHED TO THE DOLL) 4. PROPER LEFT PORCELAIN LEG (HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE BODY OF THE DOLL) 5. HAIR (THE GLUE FROM THE TOP SECTION OF THE HAIR HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT THE HAIR IS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE DOLL'S HEAD). THE CONDITION OF THE DOLL HAS CHANGED IN THE FOLLOWING WAY: THE MAJORITY OF THE DOLL'S HAIR HAS FALLEN OFF. IT APPEARS THAT IT WAS HELD ON BY A SMALL AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE. THE ADHESIVE APPEARS FLAKY AND BRITTLE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE HAIR FELL OFF DUE TO NATURAL DETERIORATION AND CHANGE IN TEXTURE OF THE ADHESIVE. THE HAIR HAS BEEN PLACED IN A MARKED BAGGIE SO IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO DO SOME CONSERVATION ON IT LATER. THE REMAINDER OF THE DOLL'S HAIR APPEARS STABLE AS IT HAS BEEN ATTACHED WITH A LARGER AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE (PERHAPS A DIFFERENT TYPE) THAT LOOKS STABLE, NOT FLAKY OR BRITTLE. IN ADDITION, THE PROPER LEFT LEG HAS FALLEN OFF OF THE DOLL. NO PART OF THE LEG APPEARS CRACKED OR BROKEN. THERE IS A SMALL HOLE AT THE TOP OF THE LEG WHERE IT ATTACHED TO A THICK PIECE OF WIRE(?) HIDDEN UNDER THE DOLL'S ROBE AMONGST THE COTTON BATTING . THE WIRE IS STILL VISIBLE BUT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BROKEN OFF AT AN EARLIER DATE. IT SEEMS LIKELY THIS LEG COULD HAVE BROKEN OFF PRIOR TO COMING TO THE MUSEUM, AS A WOODEN KEBAB STICK (THAT FITS THE HOLE IN THE DOLL'S LEG) HAS BEEN INSERTED INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE DOLL (WHICH IS OTHERWISE MADE UP OF BAMBOO STICKS, COTTON BATTING, PORCELAIN, PAPER AND CLOTH). THE KEBAB SKEWER CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE LEG. WHILE THE LEG WILL ATTACH TO THE SKEWER, IT IS NOT PARTICULARLY STABLE IN THAT POSITION. AS SUCH, THE LEG HAS BEEN LEFT UNATTACHED FROM THE BODY OF THE DOLL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE LEG WAS ATTACHED TO THE SKEWER BUT CAME LOOSE WHILE THE DOLL WAS STORED IN THE BLUE BOXES. THE DOLL IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN A SAFER LOCATION AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE MORE STABLE. ASIDE FROM THE CHANGES IN THE DOLL'S LEG AND HAIR THE CONDITION REMAINS AS ORIGINALLY INDICATED.

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

JAPANESE DOLL BELONGED TO THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY AND WAS LIKELY BROUGHT OVER TO CANADA FROM JAPAN. IT STOOD IN THE BUFFET OF THEIR HOME. THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY WAS FROM VANCOUVER AND WERE INTERNED IN SLOCAN CITY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. FOLLOWING THE WAR THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY MOVED TO COALDALE, ALBERTA. AT COALDALE REV NAKAYAMA FOUNDED THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION WHERE HE WAS RECTOR FROM 1945 TO 1970. DOLL MENTIONED IN DONOR'S NOVEL 'OBASAN'. FROM AUGUST 29 TO 31, 2011 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE DONOR, JOY KOGAWA, ABOUT HER MEMORIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC OBJECTS THAT SHE DONATED IN 1997. OF THIS ARTIFACT, KOGAWA SAID: “THIS IS ONE OF THE DOLLS THAT WAS ALWAYS THERE… THIS LITTLE RATTLE WAS IN A LITTLE HOLE IN THE HAND AND I USED TO PLAY WITH THE RATTLE… [MY PARENTS] DID GO TO JAPAN AFTER THEY WERE MARRIED AND THEY MIGHT HAVE BROUGHT IT BACK THEN… THE TAPE WITH MY FAMILY [NAME] WRITTEN ON IT WAS WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE PUT ON ALL THEIR THINGS FOR TRANSPORT [FROM VANCOUVER TO SLOCAN]… MY MOTHER WAS VERY ELEGANT. SHE LOVED CLOTHES [AND] NICE THINGS… SHE DID TREASURE [THESE] KINDS OF THINGS.” SEE RECORD P19970041001 FOR EXPANDED BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND PERMANENT FILE FOR FURTHER HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970041111

Acquisition Date

1997-01

Collection

Museum

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