Japanese Hakata Dolls

Japanese Hakata Dolls

Circa - Most likely 1950s? Possibly older?

Two elderly gentleman playing Japanese go. I'm not sure if these two figures were designed to be playing this game? Probably not... Both figures have baskets? But they look good together.

the figure on the right is in bad shape, missing parts of his hand. And his head is glued on. These particular pieces seem to be extremely old and it's normal for them to be found in this type of condition due to materials they're made of.

These pieces has been in the house since I was a child so we know they're at least 50 years old. They belonged to my mother, although dad was stationed in Japan and Okinawa in the 50s. From what I understand the PX sold a lot of these items. So it's possible dad brought this back as a souvenir?

HAKATA DOLLS
Japanese Hakata dolls are the best known craft items from Fukuoka Prefecture, which lies in the north of the island of Kyushu. The origin of this local specialty goes back to around 1586-1608

GO
Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day.