Artisanal Ghibli Collection Blends Animation with Craftsmanship

All images courtesy of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten

Studio Ghibli is bringing a new lineup of Totoro collectibles in collaboration with some of the best craftsmen from around Japan. The collection comprises Totoro figures, paper treasure boxes, flower vases, plates, handkerchiefs, and furoshikis (traditional wrapping cloth), teleporting children to the world of Ghibli through role playing goodies.

Totoro figures are shaped in the quaint little town of Inami in Toyama, renowned for its wood carving. They’re sculpted out of the local kusunoki or Camphor Tree, the very same tree where Totoro lives, in the anime classic “My Neighbour Totoro.” The whole piece was meticulously carved out of a single block of wood using more than 50 kinds of chisels. The figure incorporates various details like the fluffy hair, big belly and the strands of beard ensuring it looks like Totoro from all 360 degrees.

Treasure boxes adorned with Totoro critters in gentle colours serve just that purpose: a special place where children can keep all the treasures of the forest that they find and collect. These boxes are made by Keijusha, a stencil dyeing Japanese paper maker from Yatsuo town, Toyama.

The entire collection is available from Nakagawa Masamichi Shoten.

The tiny flower vases are made in the famous Yozan Kiln in Ureshino City of Saga Prefecture which has been around since the 1800s. The popular vase designs in Japan were imitated but shrunk and then individually hand painted by skilled craftsmen.

Bell amulets are molded as Totoro by craftsmen in Odawara who specialize in casting wind chimes and small bells. The T-shirts with Totoro characters are dyed inside out using a traditional technique known as chusen. Because they can be worn inside out or front and back, they’re perfect for kids.

Mr. Takaaki Tanaka, the creator of ‘Kusunoki Totoro’ is planning a live demonstration on the first weekend of March in Shibuya in Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, a great opportunity for art connoisseurs to experience it firsthand from the master himself.