A vintage Japanese folk craft paper doll (紙人形, kami-ningyō), representing a dancer from the traditional festival Kaze no Bon (風の盆) in Yatsuo, Etchū (越中八尾), located in Toyama Prefecture.
Carefully handcrafted from layered washi paper and natural materials, the figure is dressed in the signature dark kimono and straw hat (kasa) of the festival's dancers. The doll captures a dynamic pose, as if mid-dance, holding a drum, evoking the nostalgic and graceful atmosphere of the Bon dances held each September.
Kaze no Bon is known for its quiet elegance, slow steps, and haunting folk melodies that drift through the narrow, lantern-lit streets of Yatsuo. This paper doll, inscribed with 風の盆 and 越中八尾, makes for a unique omiyage (souvenir) not just a decorative piece, but a poetic memento of one of Japan’s most atmospheric and lesser-known festivals.
