Located in northern Miyazaki Prefecture, Sadowara flourished as a castle town of the ruling clan during the Edo Period (1602-1868). This historical town is also famous for its charming Sadowara figurines, figures whose innocent features imbue them with a gentle serenity. It is said that the figurines were first made by immigrants from Goryeo (present-day Korea) who settled in an area of Sadowara that became known as Kore (the Japanese for Goryeo). There are different figurines for different occasions. There’s one that celebrates a child’s healthy development and one for happiness and prosperity in business. There is also a Kabuki figurine, showing that Kabuki was very popular in Sadowara in the Edo Period. In this popular program, you can choose a Sumo wrestler figurine, which expresses the hope for a child to grow healthy and strong, or a Japanese spaniel, which expresses the hope for fertility and easy childbirth, to paint as you wish.
