Ayano Tsukimi Makes Dolls as Tributes to the Dead (Video)

Ayano Tsukimi has a strange hobby.

The 64 year-old woman, who inhabits a small village on Shikoku island in Japan, creates life-size dolls to commemorate the dead.Nagoro, the village she lives in, is largely isolated and its population has been gradually dwindling over the years. Tsukimi attempts to preserve the village's history and keep its occupants' memories alive by fashioning dolls in the likeness of all those who have moved or passed away. Once the dolls are complete, she leaves them around the village, setting them in places that the former occupants frequented.

In the course of 10 years, she has made over 350 dolls in memory of people she has lost.

From abandoned schools to quiet roadsides, Tsukimi's dolls are scattered all over Nagoro, like spirits guarding a ghost town, attracting curious tourists and photographers alike.

The project first began when Tsukimi decided to create a scarecrow to aid her stubborn garden. The scarecrow ended up resembling her father and it inspired her to capture the likeness of others.

She has even created a doll of herself, who resides on an old stump outside with closed eyes, forever enjoying a peaceful nap in Tsukimi's garden.

Though Tsukimi's preoccupation with death and preservation might seem morbid to some, there is something charming and slightly poetic about her dolls. Watch Fritz Schumann's short documentary about her work below.

Valley of Dolls from Fritz Schumann on Vimeo.