Photo booksPhoto Story: Showa no Kodomotachi
Photo books Photo Story: Showa no Kodomotachi
Series total200,000 copies
Farming life in the Showa 30s, and people who live with the sea.
Photo stories told with dolls, in two volumes.
Hometown / People of the Sea¥2,200 each (tax included)
Showa no Kodomotachi (Children of the Showa Era) is a body of work in which doll artist Ishii Michiko traced her memories of being a child in the Showa 30s (1955–1964) and recreated those scenes with dolls and dioramas.
The works are in two parts: Part 1, “Hometown (Furusato),” about people living in the countryside, and Part 2, “People of the Sea (Umi no Hito),” about people who live by the sea.
Every doll has its own face, full of life.
In every scene, a nameless someone lives one very real day.
Prefectures where exhibitions have been held
34/47prefectures
Dolls that have been seen
by many people at exhibitions across Japan.
The numbers in this section are for all of the Showa no Kodomotachi doll works and past exhibitions (not the number of works in the photo books).
64 titles / 332 figures
All of Showa no Kodomotachi (Part 1 Hometown, Part 2 People of the Sea)
100+ venues
Places where exhibitions have been held (across Japan)
1,500,000+
Total visitors to the exhibitions
What makes Showa no Kodomotachi special
64 titles / 332 figures
The doll works form Part 1, “Hometown (Furusato),” and Part 2, “People of the Sea (Umi no Hito),” with 64 titles and 332 figures in all. Every figure has a different expression, and every work is one of a kind. Each doll was handmade, one by one, by doll artist Ishii Michiko. Work on Part 2, “People of the Sea,” began in 2011 and was completed in 2016.These are the numbers for all the doll works (not the number of works in the photo books).
Shown at more than 100 venues across Japan
Exhibitions of Showa no Kodomotachi, which depicts life in the Showa 30s with dolls and dioramas, have been held at more than 100 venues across Japan. Venues have included museums, art museums, department stores and local government events. The works have been shown at an event at Nagoya Dome and at the Hamada Children's Museum of Art. In total, more than 1.5 million people have visited, and we have received many moving comments.
2000 Edo-Tokyo Museum
The Showa no Kodomotachi Doll Exhibition was held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum as a co-sponsored event of the “Tokyo 2000 Festival.” The 380-tsubo (about 1,250 m²) hall recreated the world of the Showa era, with full-scale sets of the Showa 30s and Showa no Kodomotachi bronzes.
A pioneer of the Showa boom
Ishii Michiko held her first solo exhibition in 1993, and from 1995 requests for exhibitions came from all over Japan. Her exhibitions across the country, starting with the 2000 exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, are said to be one of the sparks of the Showa 30s boom and the origin of the Showa boom.
Chosen for public commemorative projects
The works have been shown at events such as the 2007 project commemorating the establishment of Showa Day (organized by Hachioji City with the support of the Cabinet Office), the closing of an elementary school in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, and the “Rediscovering Richness of the Heart Project” in Ono, Fukui.
Dioramas
At exhibitions, the dolls are set among dioramas and backdrops of the four seasons made and supervised by the artist, Ishii Michiko. From the trees and houses, shrine and lotus pond of “Hometown,” about people living in the countryside, to the seaside life of “People of the Sea.” The dioramas are built at roughly one-quarter scale, so finely made to match the world of the works that they look real.
Visitors' voices
At the exhibitions, some visitors are moved to tears as they recall their own childhood or their mothers, while others chat with friends about the old days as they look at the dolls. Over the years, the letters of thanks and comments we have received would fill dozens of cardboard boxes. The images show some of the handwritten comments sent to us (in Japanese).
Carefully made photo books
“Photo Story: Showa no Kodomotachi” is a series of photo books of scenes from the Showa 30s, shot with the dolls placed in real locations and finished with high-definition printing. There are two volumes: “Hometown,” about people living in the countryside (62 pages), and “People of the Sea,” about people who live by the sea (68 pages, including four works on gatefold pages). Photography by Yamamoto Kunihiko. Each work comes with a short story written by Ishii Michiko.
Bronze sculptures
Bronze sculptures based on the dolls stand at public facilities and other places. The works made in bronze are “Crybaby (Nakimushi),” “The Quarrel (Kenka),” “Who Goes Farthest? (Tobashikko),” “Peeking Between the Legs (Matanozoki)” and “Little Rascal (Wanpaku).” In places where local people come and go, the bronze children quietly bring a sense of nostalgia to those who see them. They come in life size and one-quarter scale, and are made to order.
NewspaperIn the media
Whenever exhibitions were held, the works were widely covered by newspapers across Japan and featured on TV news. They have appeared in magazines such as “Ginka,” “Seiryu” and “Serai,” including on a magazine cover. They have also been introduced on radio programs and in web articles, and featured in live TV broadcasts. They were used in a TV commercial for Iwatani Corporation, and once appeared in hanging advertisements inside Kintetsu trains.
Two books
The photo book series “Photo Story: Showa no Kodomotachi” presents doll artist Ishii Michiko's doll works depicting scenes of the Showa era, in the Showa 30s (1955–1964), as photographed by Yamamoto Kunihiko. There are two volumes, “Hometown” and “People of the Sea,” with a caption for every work (in Japanese).
Photo books “Photo Story: Showa no Kodomotachi” series total
200,000 copies
Part 1
¥2,200 (tax included)
A photo book of doll works on the theme of the Japanese as a farming people in the Showa 30s.
Part 2
¥2,200 (tax included)
Part 2 of the Photo Story series. People of the Sea is a requiem, dedicated to those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. It includes panoramic double-page spreads.
The product page of our Online Shop (BASE, in Japanese) opens in a new tab.
For shipping, payment methods and return conditions, please see the Online Shop's Commercial Disclosure (in Japanese) (opens in a new tab).
Inside
Each work comes with its story, alongside the photographs.
The photos above are selected from the works in each volume. You can also see them on the photo book page of our official site (opens in a new tab).
A gift for those who were children in the Showa 30s. A book that depicts the games and daily life of those days with dolls and photographs.
For places where people can pick up a book while they wait, such as hospital and clinic waiting rooms, or the lobbies and day rooms of care facilities. We hope these scenes of the Showa era will help start conversations.
To buy a few copies, please use the Online Shop, just like individual customers. If you would like to sell them in a facility shop or similar, please see the page for stockists.
Why not place one in each room? On the low table of a ryokan, or the bookshelf of a hotel room. A book to leaf through slowly while guests relax.
To buy in quantity, please contact us through the contact form (opens in a new tab).
For example, places like these
Why not place them where all kinds of people will see them?
Company lobbies
Hospitals and clinics
Senior care facilities
Nursing care facilities
Day care services
Showa retro cafés
Local history museums
History museums and memorial halls
Libraries
Barbers and hair salons
Pharmacies
Rest areas at public baths and hot springs
Roadside stations and tourist information centers
Hotels and ryokan innsThey are available from our Online Shop (BASE, in Japanese). The buttons in “Two photo stories.” on this page open the product page for each book.
Please see the product pages of the Online Shop and the Commercial Disclosure (in Japanese) (opens in a new tab).
Hometown is Part 1, a photo book of doll works on the theme of the Japanese as a farming people in the Showa 30s (62 pages). People of the Sea is Part 2, a photo story depicting people who live with the sea. It includes panoramic double-page spreads.
For a few copies, please order from the Online Shop, just like individual customers. If you would like to sell them in a facility shop or similar (consignment or wholesale), please see the page for stockists.
Please see the page for stockists.
Please contact us separately through the contact form (opens in a new tab).
Some customers buy many copies at once to give to friends or as year-end gifts.
If you would like to buy 30 copies or more, please contact us (opens in a new tab) in advance. We will offer a discount. We also offer a discount when facilities buy copies in quantity for their own use.
Online shop
Hometown (Furusato)¥2,200 (tax included)
Buy Hometown (Furusato) (opens in a new tab)
People of the Sea (Umi no Hito)¥2,200 (tax included)
Buy People of the Sea (Umi no Hito) (opens in a new tab)The Online Shop is in Japanese. For shipping, payment methods and return conditions, please see the Online Shop's Commercial Disclosure (in Japanese) (opens in a new tab).