【coming soon】Aizome Donguri Korokoro

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Available from September 18, 2026
Shipping begins in mid-October 2026

 

A Japanese Wooden Toy Dyed with Traditional Aizome Indigo

Deep, beautiful indigo gives each Aizome Donguri Korokoro its distinctive character.

Indigo dyeing has a long history in many parts of the world. In Japan, the tradition is known as Aizome, a centuries-old craft that creates rich shades of blue from natural indigo. This distinctive color has become so closely associated with Japanese craftsmanship that it is sometimes known as “Japan Blue.”

For Aizome Donguri Korokoro, we use Bushu Shoaizome, a traditional form of Japanese indigo dyeing passed down since the Edo period in northern Saitama.

Each piece is dyed by Ishiori Shoten, an indigo workshop founded in 1910. Using techniques handed down through generations, the artisans carefully dye each wooden toy while allowing the natural grain and character of the wood to remain visible.

Because both wood and indigo are natural materials, no two pieces look exactly alike. The subtle variations in grain and color make every Aizome Donguri Korokoro uniquely its own.

Experience Japanese Craftsmanship Through Play

Aizome Donguri Korokoro is not a traditional craft made simply to be displayed. It is a wooden toy made to be touched, moved, and enjoyed by children.

Place it at the top of a slope, and it gently wobbles from side to side as it makes its way down. Its charming, almost lifelike movement invites children to roll it again and again.

As they play, children can experience the warmth and texture of natural wood, its gentle aroma, and the deep blue of Japanese indigo.

We believe a child’s first encounter with traditional craftsmanship does not have to begin with a lesson. It can begin with play. A simple question such as “Why is it blue?” can become the beginning of curiosity about nature, culture, and how things are made.

From Saitama’s Forests to the Hands of Japanese Craftspeople

Beneath the indigo is Nishikawa timber, locally grown Japanese cypress (hinoki) from the Hanno area of Saitama Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. The region has a long history of forestry, supplying timber to Edo—the city that would later become Tokyo—since the Edo period.

The wood is shaped into Donguri Korokoro at Comomg, our wooden toy workshop in Kawaguchi, Saitama.

Our roots go back to a wooden pattern workshop established in 1946. Kawaguchi has long been known for its metal casting industry, and skilled woodworkers created precise wooden patterns used as forms for casting metal. The woodworking skills and dedication to craftsmanship developed through this work have been passed down into the wooden toys we make today.

The wood comes from Hanno, the toy is crafted in Kawaguchi, and the indigo dyeing is completed in northern Saitama. From material to craftsmanship, every stage brings together the natural resources and making traditions of Saitama, Japan.

From Japan, for the Next Generation

Across Japan, natural materials and traditional skills have been shaped by their local landscapes and passed from one generation to the next.

With Aizome Donguri Korokoro, we do not simply want to teach children about that history. We want them to experience a small part of it through something as natural as play.

For now, we hope they simply enjoy watching a little blue acorn wobble its way down a slope.

And perhaps one day, they will discover that the toy they played with as a child was made from a tree grown in Japan, shaped by craftspeople carrying on a local woodworking tradition, and colored using an indigo dyeing technique passed down for generations.

We hope that small connection becomes a lasting appreciation for nature, culture, and the people who keep traditional craftsmanship alive.

A little indigo acorn, made from the nature and craftsmanship of Japan, for children around the world.

 

How to Play

Place Aizome Donguri Korokoro on a gently sloped surface, and watch it wobble from side to side as it makes its charming little journey downhill.

With its rich indigo color and natural wooden texture, it is also beautiful simply displayed on a shelf or in a room. Its combination of playful movement and traditional Japanese craftsmanship makes it a unique gift for children and families.

Product Details

Materials
Hinoki cypress (grown in Saitama, Japan), beads, glass marble, rubber

Finish
Hat: Bushu Shoaizome traditional indigo dye
Face: OSMO Color Wood Wax Finish

Recommended Age
3 years and up

Size
45 × 45 × 60 mm

Weight
70 g

Design
Kazuto Komatsu

Please Note

As each piece is dyed using traditional indigo dyeing techniques, the way the wood absorbs the indigo varies depending on its natural grain, condition, and individual characteristics.

Variations in color, tone, and depth of dye are therefore to be expected. These subtle differences are part of the unique character of a product made from natural wood and dyed by hand. Please enjoy the individual appearance of each piece.