Miss Kagawa toured Pennsylvania before returning to her permanent home in Raleigh, N.C. She was one of 58 Friendship dolls sent to the United States in 1927 - an exchange gift for the 12,789 toy dolls sent to Japan from this country.

Alan Pate, a researcher of the dolls, called and wanted to visit the Palmerton Area Historical Society archives to see if he could locate some information about the dolls. Betsy Burnhauser asked if he could speak at the meeting.He told the group that Miss Kagawa had visited Palmerton before going on to Allentown and many other Pennsylvania cities. Previously she visited Lansford and Lehighton. A Japanese dinner was held in her honor in Bethlehem by a woman who lived in Japan for 40 years.Some of those sites had pictures in the newspapers but most were just a short story. Pate's visit to the Palmerton Area Historical Society on Oct. 10 brought him from Berwick and he had to be in Pittsburgh the following day, all in the name of research."The Friendship dolls are a passion of mine," he said.In Japan, dolls date back 13,000 years and were used as diplomatic gifts. The Japanese word for dolls with "human figures" is "ningyo," a word used in the titles of Pate's two latest books.Human figures covers a vast territory, he said. The structure of the doll is flexible but never for play, only for display. The Friendship dolls were an odd concept in 1924.An immigration act based on California politics revoked Japanese rights. With missionary people-to-people diplomacy a friendship exchange was begun. The 13,000 American blue-eyed dolls were sent as a measure of goodwill. They arrived in Japan on March 3 and led to a doll celebration.Japan gave a return gesture. It sent 58 large-scale dolls that were 33-inches tall. One was named Miss Japan and six were named after cities: Miss Yokohama, Miss Nagoya, Miss Kobe, Miss Osaka, Miss Tokyo and Miss Kyoto. The others were named after prefectures or other subdivisions.Each has an individualized expression. They are white so people think "porcelain," but they are finished with gofun, which is made from oyster shells and can be sculptured. Every Japanese doll is constructed. None are molded.Most of the dolls are now living in museums. The whereabouts of only 46 are known and have been correctly identified. One was definitely lost in a hurricane in 1959.The six city dolls were different from the others because their bodies were made of solid wood. The hands are designed to hold a closed fan, though Japanese pictures usually depict an opened fan. They have human hair.In 1925 a big earthquake decimated Tokyo and the doll business. Nine artists were selected as the best to replace the damaged or destroyed dolls.Each was dressed in an expensive silk kimono. The lineage of the woman who made them is still found in the Ginza, a shopping and entertainment district.Going-away parties were held for each doll. When Japanese visit this country, they take time to visit the dolls. In that manner, they continue to be ambassadors.When the Friendship dolls arrived in San Francisco, the newspaper headline read "Japanese invasion." The only picture showing all 58 dolls was taken in San Francisco. The colors of the dolls were intense when they were new. Each one arrived with furniture and a 100-piece trousseau. The furniture was black lacquered with designs.They became a teaching tool for Japanese to teach about Japan.When they traveled to Washington D.C., each had a first-class train seat. After that, they were broken down into smaller and smaller groups and visited every state except Oklahoma. Miss Japan went straight to the Smithsonian.With World War II the dolls became inappropriate but interest was raised about them again in the 1970s.The Philadelphia doll is missing. It was moved to a commercial museum with everything that was left over from the World's Fair. A picture of Miss Osaka is Pate's favorite but he said there are many problems with it. There is a crest on each side of the kimono that should match the design of the furniture, but that does not.The clothing is complicated to Americans. It includes an obi, an eight-foot long belt that takes practice to learn to wrap. The Friendship dolls are the only Japanese dolls that have underwear. They brought sandals with them.On the back is a sign reading "Toyko Doll Wholesale Traders Association" that was used only on the Friendship dolls.When some of the dolls were returned to Japan for refurbishing, their passports were stamped. A special case was made to protect them when they traveled. They are restored gratis because they are so important to the Japanese. There will be a homecoming in Kyoto for that city's doll.Michael Learned's (Olivia of the TV show, "The Waltons") father built a Japanese temple for the dolls.A man in Maryland bought a Friendship doll on ebay and Pate was contacted. He traced her to her real name. One was found in a flea market. There is no record of some of the dolls, a fact Pate is trying to correct.The first doll Pate bought he sent to Japan for restoration and she came back with a stack of letters from admirers. She is now in a museum in Kansas City.The dolls are worth between $60,000 and $250,000.With the end of questions, Pate quickly packed up his power point presentation and headed to Pittsburgh on his continuing research.For information or to view the dolls check antiquejapanesedolls.com.