My mother, Ishii Michiko, held exhibitions in between making her dolls, out of a wish that “more people could see these works.”
After Part 1 of Showa no Kodomotachi, “Hometown (Furusato),” was completed, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Thinking of the people affected by the disaster, my mother began work on Part 2, “People of the Sea (Umi no Hito),” and gradually held fewer exhibitions. Just as “People of the Sea” was finally finished and she was about to resume exhibitions, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop in exhibitions, and soon afterward she learned that she was ill.
About two years after my mother passed away in 2023, carrying on her wishes and hoping that Showa no Kodomotachi could be put to wide use in society, we launched a new business: a display lease in which, rather than asking people to come to exhibitions as before, we bring the dolls to you, a different work each month.
We would be delighted if the baby-boom generation could recall fond memories of the Showa era, and if later generations could feel that “Japan once had a time like this.” As her daughter, I hope these dolls will bring you moments that warm the heart.
We hope that as many people as possible will come into contact with these warm works.
