Here is a crew of antique ichimatsu dolls, probably sold in America in the 1880s or 1890s. The handsome fellow to the left is more likely a doll made and sold in Japan to be dressed by a little girl; he and his friend have unusually nice layers of clothing.
This is a classic 1930s little girl ichimatsu, her sweet and peaceful
expression probably inspired by the Friendship Dolls.She is not a deluxe
doll, but she is carefully dressed to remind a child (or her mother) of
a festival day.
To the right is a little boy doll of more recent vintage. He too is
dressed for a festival in hakama and a jacket with the rising-sun fan.
This ten-inch doll in rayon kimono is a typical charmer. Her arms are wired and her paper-covered knees can be bent to pose her kneeling.
This 16-inch doll in an exquisite silk kimono and tabi socks has been the subject of some "restoration"--her face was repainted in flesh color, so she lost her eyebrows.
This little girl is made of bisque and not the hand-worked materials of the traditional dolls; also, her body is just a block of bisque down to the knees. Nevertheless, she transfixes one with her solemn face, and delights with her elaborate costume complete with a tasselled ceremonial wallet.
This young lady is constructed with very white gofun head and hands, and her expression recalls Gosho dolls. Her body seems to be stuffed hard, and her position is fixed--she can't be moved or undressed. Over a glued-on layer of underclothing she wears two silk kimonos and a brocade coat. She wears her hair in a chigawa style, typical of young upper-class girls in the 19th century.
This is an older type of lady doll, with gofun-covered head and cloth-jointed body; she was dressed by a previous owner in four layers of kimono (I didn't like the outer kimono so I made her a new one!)