Exhibition Featuring Dog Figurines Donated by Princess Hisako of Takamado Opens in Aichi Prefecture; Princess Attends Ahead of Opening

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:25 JST, December 13, 2025

A commemorative exhibition of ceramic dog figurines donated by Princess Hisako of Takamado started on Saturday at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum in Seto, Aichi Prefecture.

Princess Hisako visited the museum ahead of the exhibition on Friday to see the figurines on display.

Her grandmother, Moriko Tomoda, began collecting the figurines in 1928 when she accompanied her diplomat husband to Europe and other parts of the world. Princess Hisako took over the collection when she got married and has added to it with artworks from around the world.

The princess donated the entire 205-piece collection to the museum hoping that the figurines would be used for research.

“This collection was started with love and passion by my grandmother,” she said at a ceremony held Friday. “I hope you will take good care of the figurines.”

After her speech, the princess spent about an hour looking at the exhibited pieces with great interest.

According to Noriko Otsuki, an official at the museum who guided the princess through the exhibition, she looked happy to see the figurines again and reflected on her memories of each piece.

“We will look after the figurines with great care and exhibit them for many people to see,” Otsuki said.

The commemorative exhibition runs through July 26 next year.