Language
Miss Yamaguchi is by Iwamura Shōkensai I and her kimono crest is the maru ni nibiki (encircled two lines).
Miss Yamaguchi was originally placed in the Children’s Room of the Art Institute of Chicago in August of 1928. To honor her public debut, in March of 1929, the museum staged a large exhibition entitled “Oriental Objects” to coincide with the Hina Matsuri Girl’s Day celebration. In addition to many Japanese objects, including woodblock prints, textiles, an impressive palanquin, and swords, the exhibit also featured objects from India and China as well, all drawn from the museum’s own collections.
In 1951, Miss Yamaguchi, along with all of the museum’s dolls, were sold and transferred to the newly forming Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which first opened its doors in 1953.
Miss Yamaguchi remains a part of their collection and retains a nearly complete set of accessories, though with botan peony marked lacquer furnishings.
Through archival photographs, Miss Yamaguchi has been identified as the original Miss Saga.