The story of TOGYOKU｜- Hina dolls and Gogatsu dolls - of TOGYOKU in Iwatsuki, Saitama

Founder of Dollmaker Ryuuken Totsuka

Second generation Kenjirou Totsuka

　The history of TOGYOKU workshop parallels that of the town of Iwatsuki. Since the Edo period, the town of Iwatsuki has flourished as a post town and a castle town, and has long been blessed with the paulownia wood and high quality water, ideal for dollmaking. At present, Iwatsuki takes great pride in its status as Japan’s largest producer of traditional dolls.
　TOGYOKU’s original founder, Ryuuken Totsuka, was a doctor at the palace of the lord of Iwatsuki in the middle of the nineteenth century. Totsuka’s hobby was doll making and he often made fine dolls, in addition to his work as a doctor. When he gave one of his dolls to the lord of Iwatsuki as a gift, he was highly praised, and granted the moniker TOGYOKU meaning King of the East.
　The second generation, Kenjiro, also took over doll making at the beside the work of a doctor and succeeded to the third generation, Takuzo. The fourth generation, Iwao, started to work when he was very young and made a specialty of making dolls. The distinguished history of the TOGYOKU name has been passed down the seven generations, and remains active to this day.

Fourth generation Iwao Totsuka

　Originally Iwatsuki began in Muromachi period wherein the Warring States.
The area around Iwatsuki had excellent paulownia trees, and was known as a production area for wardrobe and clog sandals.
　Dolls were made by kneading and solidifying the high quality sawdust. The water in this area was also very suitable for dissolving chalk, which is essential for doll making.
　These contributed the good result of the Iwatsuki doll industry today. In addition, the fact that there was a big market Edo in the neighborhood become one of the factors that made Iwatsuki's doll making vigorously.