
Two scenes of Momotaro: on the left, he entices a dog to join him; on
the right, he poses triumphantly with the conquered demon. In the latter
ningyo, a pile or cart of treasure, won from the demon, was probably originally
part of the tableau. Note the difference between the babyish quality of
the one boy and the more realistically proportioned adolescent of the other.
Here is a magnificent interpretation of Momotaro with his dog companion,
depicted as a child courtier with a dog headress, on the website of the
Maruhei doll company. Another Maruhei artist presented Momotaro as a
young warrior triumphing over the demon and his three companions as
warriors, each with a pose and details (colors, hair, emblems) invoking
their animal qualities. In the late 19th century and the first decades
of the 20th century, Momotaro was an important national and imperial
symbol for the Japanese: the child who "grows up fast" and takes
dominion, just as Japan was a fast-growing and powerful infant
among nations.
A charming antique
gosho doll of Momotaro with two of his animals (the monkey and dog)
can be seen on the J.A.D.E.
site; it was part of a 2001
Metropolitan Museum exhibition of dolls from the collection of Michael
Ayervais.