Topic: 3.Church

The Bible Doll Story

An exciting ministry by a Japanese Lutheran puppet artist, Mrs. Hiroko Sugioka

“It all began about six years ago when I was asked to draw pictures for Sunday School collecting cards in my own congregation in Japan”, tells Mrs Hiroko Sugioka, a Japanese puppet artist holding a small scenery of dolls in her hands. “At the time I had not been drawing a lot but I said yes anyway. However, I found drawing very difficult”, she says.

“At that time I made doll houses and dolls as an interest; it was just a hobby. It was my idea to make scenery on those Bible verses to be printed on the cards.”


A collection of Sunday school cards was made over a period of three years. In the collection there is a card for every Sunday. A scene is made with tiny dolls depicting a Bible verse and the picture taken in order to insert it with the Bible verse into a card. After making the dolls for some time, Hiroko decided to use clay instead of cloth. Finding material for the dolls and scenes has been easy. Hiroko herself is a regular customer of several tailors who have kept the pieces of waste cloth for her. Dolls are dressed according to the times they “talk” about.

When Hiroko started her project she lived in Japan with her family. Following her husband to Thailand did not mean an end to her project. She has continued working on this project after moving to Bangkok where her husband (seconded by Kinki Lutheran Church, Japan) serves as a pastor in The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand.

Dolls and the set ups are very popular in Japan in Sugioka’s home congregation. In addition to the Sunday school cards the pictures of the scenes have been used in the newsletters of the congregation.

During the interview I looked at one of the newsletters on pastor Naoki Sugioka’s computer screen. As a non-Japanese speaker I was unable to understand the language but the message depicted in the picture told the whole story.

At the beginning of the lenten season this year, Hiroko's works were used in the Ash Wednesday Service at ELCT. Now these scenes are being displayed at The Scandinavian Church in Bangkok during the week before Easter.

One scene builds up a cultural image of what it was like to live in the times of Jesus. Mrs Hiroko uses a lot of time to study the environment surrounding the people and make everything look like the period costume and dress of the people.

“Many of those who have looked at the scenery have told me that they feel like they are part of the scene – like one of the dolls on stage. To actually see the event helps us widen our view of what happened. Dolls on stage help us understand Bible stories better”, she says.

Website: www.bibledollministry.com

Jyrki Markkanen
Finnish (FELM) Missionary to Thailand