Aizome Donguri Korokoro

On sale from 18 September 2026
Shipping progressively from mid-October

Putting "Bushu Shoai-zome", carried on since the Edo period, into children's hands

A deep and beautiful indigo

"Aizome Donguri Korokoro" is comomg's wooden toy "Donguri Korokoro", dyed one piece at a time using "Bushu Shoai-zome", the technique carried on by Ishiori Shoten, founded in 1910 (Meiji 43).

Bushu Shoai-zome has been handed down in the north of Saitama Prefecture since the Edo period. Through this traditional craft, Donguri Korokoro has been dyed a beautiful indigo while the character of the wood is left intact. The grain and the shade of indigo that differ from one piece to the next are a charm unique to a toy born of natural materials and human hands.

We are delivering a Japanese colour and craft that have been passed down for generations, not as something merely to be displayed, but as something children can actually pick up and touch.

Meeting Japanese craft through play

Having children understand the history and technique of Bushu Shoai-zome as knowledge is not the purpose of this toy.

First of all, we want them to enjoy the way "Donguri Korokoro" rolls down a slope, swaying from side to side; to touch it, to roll it, to lose themselves in play. And then, within that play, to feel the deep colour of the indigo, the texture of the wood and its scent quite naturally.

"Why is it blue?" "How did the colour get on there?"

The small questions that arise out of play may one day become a doorway into an interest in Japan's nature and craftsmanship. Precisely because they are young, we want children to meet genuine materials and skills not through explanation but through the experience we call play.

Wood grown in Saitama, made into a toy by Kawaguchi craft

For the wood beneath the indigo, too, we chose a material from Saitama. What we use is hinoki cypress of the "Nishikawa timber" grown in the Hanno area of Saitama Prefecture. With a history of supplying timber to the city of Edo since the Edo period, it is one of the woods that represents Saitama.

It is comomg, with its roots in Kawaguchi's wooden pattern-making, that works that hinoki into "Donguri Korokoro". comomg began as a small Kawaguchi pattern-making workshop founded in 1946, and the pattern-making skills and spirit of craftsmanship that supported the casting industry live on in the wooden toys we make today.

"Nishikawa timber" from the Hanno area, woodworking from Kawaguchi, and "Bushu Shoai-zome" from the north of the prefecture. From the place where the tree grew, through shaping, to dyeing, the nature and craft of Saitama have come together in one small toy.

Passing things on to children means leaving them for the future

We believe that what we touched, played with and felt as children stays somewhere in our memory even after we grow up.

For now, it is enough that a child loses themselves in play with this blue donguri. And we hope that one day, when they have grown, they will come to know that the toy they played with as a small child was made from wood grown in the area, and from skills handed down over many generations. We hope that realisation becomes the moment they take an interest in Japan's nature, history and craftsmanship, and come to feel "I want to look after this".

Passing things on to children leads to leaving a rich natural world and a culture of making for the future.

"For children's brighter smiles." In the way only a wooden toy can, comomg connects children with Japan's nature, culture and craft.

How to play

Give the base holding the Aizome Donguri Korokoro just a slight tilt to make a slope, and it will wobble its way down step by step in the most endearing manner. Beautifully indigo-dyed, this piece looks stylish simply on display. It also makes a gift that is sure to delight.

Specifications

■Materials
　Hinoki cypress (grown in Saitama Prefecture)・wooden beads・glass marble・rubber
■Finish
　Cap: Bushu Shoai-zome　Face: Osmo Color Wood Wax
■Recommended age
　3 years and up
■Size
　45×45×60 (mm)
■Weight
　70 (g)
■Design
　Kazuto Komatsu

Please note

As this product is indigo-dyed, the way the colour takes varies with the part and condition of the wood. There may be unevenness of colour and differences in how deeply it has taken; please purchase with this in mind.