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Margaret Corbet, the 80-year-old owner of Miss Miyagi, traveled all the
way from Larned, Kansas, to Miyagi Prefecture to exhibit her Japanese
Friendship Doll. The Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore exhibited
Miss Miyagi along with Miyagi Prefecture's eight Blue-eyed Dolls received
from America in 1927, two dolls given by Mrs. Corbet to Miyagi elementary
schools in 2000, and a New Blue-eyed Doll received by a Miyagi elementary
school from Mr. Gulick, 3d, the grandson of the American missionary who
organized the doll exchange between Japan and America in 1927. The exhibition
ran from May 21 to 25, so my wife and I decided to drop by the museum one
morning since we planned to pass through Sendai during our vacation in Japan.
Also, I had visited several Miyagi elementary schools with Friendship Dolls
in November 2001 and October 2002, so I looked forward to viewing all of the
Blue-eyed Dolls of Miyagi Prefecture together.
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Miss Miyagi (left) with
American Friendship Dolls
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We arrived at the museum as the first visitors right at 9, since we were
still waking up very early due to jet lag. When we were about to enter the
special exhibition room for the dolls, we saw Toshiko Saito, the President of
the Miyagi Blue-eyed Doll Study Group. Although we had met a couple of years
earlier when she accompanied me to the elementary school from where she
retired as a teacher, she seemed not to recognize me for a couple of seconds
since she had no idea we would visit the exhibition. She presented us with a
copy of the children's book she had written and published that week for the
homecoming of Miss Miyagi. My wife and I marveled that she not only wrote the
story but also drew all of the pictures. She showed us one detailed drawing
of over 100 American dolls together when they arrived in 1927, and she said
it took her a long time to draw each doll with different clothing and facial
features.
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Picture-Story Show for Children
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While we were viewing the dolls and their various accessories (e.g.,
passports, original clothing, letters), two groups of 2nd-grade students came
to view the dolls. Mrs. Corbet and her daughter Dody also arrived, and they
shook each student's hand. The children then sat in the doll exhibition room
to view kamishibai, a traditional Japanese picture-story show. This kamishibai
had been created for the exhibit to tell the story of a Blue-eyed Doll from
America that survived World War II.
After a couple of hours at the museum, we went with Mrs. Corbet and her
daughter Dody to Matsushima, one of the top three scenic spots in Japan. This
was my second visit, but I did not have a chance before to appreciate the
many unusually shaped islands off the coast since my visit last year was at
night. Tomoko Shizukuishi, who did much work to arrange the visit of Mrs.
Corbet and her daughter, drove us to Matsushima. We ate lunch at an elegant
restaurant with a fantastic view of the many islands, and then we went on a
one-hour boat trip around the islands.
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Margaret Corbet (right) and Daughter Dody
Visit Miyagi in 2003, Year of Sheep
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During lunch Mrs. Corbet described her busy schedule during her short stay
in Miyagi Prefecture, including visits to four elementary schools, a press
conference, the opening ceremony for the exhibition, and several huge meals.
She was happy many people could see Miss Miyagi, and she enjoyed meeting the
children of Miyagi Prefecture.
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