FUKUSHIMA

Takashiba Dekoyashiki

Reconnect with your childhood at a birthplace for traditional folk toys.

Takashiba Dekoyashiki is a historic craft village that preserves the art of toymaking.

Culture & Arts

Nestled in the hills east of Koriyama city, this traditional village refuses to forget the traditions that molded it, with Edo-era artisans preserving toymaking techniques that can be viewed from their still-active workshops.

Takashiba Dekoyashiki is located in the hills to the east of Koriyama city. A world away from the latter’s modernity, Takashiba is a craft village that refuses to lay down its tools. Goods and cultural influences from Kyoto flowed into the Tohoku region, and Kyoto’s Fushimi dolls spread there along with them. This inspired the creation of similar dolls across Tohoku, and for this reason, the doll-making tradition of Takashiba Dekoyashiki is said to follow the lineage of Kyoto’s Fushimi dolls. Fast forward to the present day, and such traditional techniques have not been discarded; rather, the historic toymaking processes remain the beating heart of the community.

Takashiba is the birthplace of traditional folk toys such as Miharu-goma wooden horses and Miharu hariko papier-mâché dolls, with four artisanal families upholding the crafting techniques to this day. ‘Miharu’ refers to the ruling clan during the Edo period, as Takashiba was under the protection of the Miharu feudal domain. Walking through the nikawa-scented streets of Takashiba will undoubtedly transport visitors back to this era, as the village is still populated by the workshops that earned such a fabulous reputation for toymaking.

Visitors can tour these workshops and enjoy painting experiences, discovering the warmth and artistry of Tohoku’s folk traditions. For example, Daisuke Hashimoto is the 11th-generation artisan of the Hikoji workshop, where his father also still works and even performs the local Hyottoko odori dance. At Hikoji, visitors can purchase traditional Miharu-goma and hariko that represent the animals of the zodiac. Visitors can then paint their own hariko, immersing themselves fully in the traditions that have sustained the spirit of this revered craft village for over 300 years.

Address

80-1 Tateno, Takashiba Aza, Nishita-machi, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture

Phone number

+81-24-972-2412

Business hours

Weekdays: 10:00–17:00 / Weekends & Holidays: 10:00–16:00

Holiday

Thursdays (Open during New Year holidays & Golden Week)

WEB site

https://fukushima.travel/destination/takashiba-dekoyashiki-takashiba-craft-village/41

Digital Map