Yanagiya was a local toy workshop in Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture. They made folk toys for 86 years, from 1928 to 2014. “Yanagiya” comes from the proverb, “Willow trees never break in the snow.” Tatsunosuke Tanaka, the founder of Yanagiya, created toys based on the history and legends of the Inaba region. He also devoted himself to restoring toys that had fallen into disuse. For many years, he researched and created toys with his wife, Toshiko. Yanagiya was passed on to their daughter and her husband. Yanagiya’s work fully embodied the meaning of the company name. They created over 50 toys, including Japanese paper mache masks, clay figures, and wooden toys.

In 2020, a new group of creators known as YANAGIYA REPRODUCT formed. They devoted themselves to learning the techniques of Kinji and Miyako Tanaka and to the reproduction of Yanagiya folk toys.