Pair of Early 20th Century Oriental Ichimatsu Dolls

Ichimatsu dolls are named after Sanogawa Ichimatsu, a popular Kabuki actor from the Edo period. Originally, these dolls represented adult men, but since the late 19th century, the term has commonly applied to child dolls. They are typically characterized by their glass eyes and flesh-colored skin, traditionally made from gofun, a substance derived from ground oyster shells. Ichimatsu dolls gained international recognition in 1927 when 58 of them were sent from Japan to the United States as "Ambassadors of Friendship".