Milwaukee Public Museum

Miss Kasumi Tsukuba is a torei ningyo – return-call doll – sent to the United States from Japan in 1927 as a goodwill gesture. After touring Wisconsin, Miss Kasumi Tsukuba was sent to "live" at the MPM, where she was displayed intermittently through the end of the century.

While still very beautiful, 80 years of rotating between display and storage eventually took their toll on Miss Kasumi Tsukuba. Seeing this, friends decided it was time to return her to Tokyo's Yoshitoku doll factory, where she was created, to undergo restoration.

Miss Kasumi Tsukuba has now been fully rejuvenated and returned to Milwaukee after a tour of Ibaraki, Japan, her "home" prefecture, and ceremonial send-off by the adoring public of Mito, Ibaraki's capital city.

See her in all her glory in the special exhibit – Messenger of Friendship: The Adventures of Miss Kasumi Tsukuba.

Messenger of Friendship: The Adventures of Miss Kasumi Tsukuba is presented by Kikkoman Foods.

This exhibit is located on the first floor near the entrance to the rain forest.