Kiku-ningyo

Kiku-ningyo - dolls made of living chrysanthemums. Whole teams of skilled craftsmen are working on these human-sized dolls. They consist of a bamboo frame on which chrysanthemums with small flowers dug out of the ground with roots are fixed. To prevent chrysanthemums from withering longer, their roots are wrapped in moss. The height of such dolls is approximately equal to human height. The face, hands and other parts of the dolls are made of papier-mâché. Many of these dolls are made for traditional exhibitions in the cities of Nihonmatsu and Hirakata, which are held every autumn during the chrysanthemum bloom.