Oshi-e Ningyo Flat Doll Jo and Uba

Antique Japanese Oshi-e Ningyo (Pressed Picture Doll) depicting Jō and Uba. 

This type of doll was originally made by women of the samurai class (aristocrats) who had free time and access to the beautiful silk fragments used to make these dolls in the Edo Period. They are pressed into shape, stuffed with cotton, and their faces are painted. The oshi-e ningyo are made to fit into wooden stands and are also sometimes placed in shadowboxes for display.

Jō and Uba are spirits of the Takasago pine trees who symbolize enduring love, marital harmony, and longevity. Jō rakes in good fortune while Uba sweeps out the bad.