Ozaki Doll

Ozaki dolls are unglazed figurines handed down in the Ozaki Nishibun district of Kanzaki Town, Kanzaki City, Saga Prefecture. They are the oldest ceramics in the prefecture. Legend has it that they originated during the Mongol invasions of the mid-Kamakura period, when captured Mongol soldiers crafted dolls and played them to remember their distant homeland. Ozaki boasts clay soil ideal for pottery making, and the techniques were eventually passed on to local residents. Hizen Ozaki ware, including roof tiles, braziers, and potted plants, was produced in abundance. Alongside these, Ozaki dolls were also produced. Although the craft fell into disuse, Shidai Hachiya founded the Ozaki Ware Preservation Society in 1990, reviving the Ozaki dolls alone. The current maker, Masahiro Takayanagi, subsequently inherited the molds and kilns. He creates unique pieces, including the traditional pigeon whistle (teteppu) and Chotaro, as well as pieces shaped like the Saga Prefecture bird, the Magpie, the prefecture's local specialty, the mudskipper, and the zodiac animals, and more recently, collaborations with overseas artists.