Kumeko Inoue

• 2005
  Studied under Toshiko Imanishi
  Started making dolls formed with toso
• 2011
  Selected for the Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time
• 2015
  Selected for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time (2016, 2017)
  Becomes Associate Member of the Japan Kōgei Association

I make dolls formed with toso over wooden core and covered with paper. I carve paulownia wood to roughly form the base and adjust the form with toso (mixture of paulownia sawdust and paste), apply layers of whitewash, and finish by applying Japanese paper.
I was taught by my master Imanishi that "you can cut later, so try to make the head and body with one piece of wood". I always keep my master's warm style in my mind and try to make my original dolls.