One of the local specialties in Fukuoka is Hakata Doll, a traditional clay doll that originated in Hakata around 17th century.
Hakata dolls come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and themes, some of which are cute and adorable, and others are cool and masculine. The other day, I joined a workshop for painting a Hakata doll and found it very interesting and fun to enjoy a traditional crafts. Why don' you try yourself and make your own hakata doll? It makes a great souvenior.
I visited an atelie of Hakata doll craftsman, Yuki Tanaka, with more than 15-year career. He recently became independent from his master and opened his atelie. While making his own works, he gives a workshop for painting Hakata dolls.
At workshop, some utencils are readily set on the desk to start painting dolls. There are tubes of watercolor paint, brushes, pallets, and brush washer. First of all, you will choose one from various shapes of unglazed clay dolls. I chosed a dog which was the animal of the next year 2018 in the Chinese zodiac. Basically you can paint as you want ! Use your imagination and creativity to make your original Hakata doll. If you are not good at painting, don't worry. Teacher Tanaka tells you some tips for painting, and helps paint beautifully. He retouched my work in some details . How do you like my work? Isn't it very cute? It's intended for Christmas and the lucky dog of the next year.
My work : A dog in Christmas colors
You can see an array of Hakata dolls displayed in his atelie.
Hakata doll painting experience
Place: near Kushida shrine
Hour: one hour
Fee : 1,000 yen per person (besides the tour fee)
You can put a workshop into your itinerary. Advance booking is required. Please visit my tour!!
