Nostalgic matryoshka dolls, each one carrying its own story.

Outside the window, a peaceful rural landscape stretches out. About an hour’s drive from central Sapporo, up a gently sloping hill, sits the workshop of “cupiporo.” Cupiporo means “moonlight” in the Ainu language. It’s an original lifestyle-goods brand built around the concept of “goods with a storybook-like narrative, meant to be read by moonlight.” Matryoshka dolls, brooches, keychains, and more — every piece carries a quiet, curious charm that goes well beyond simply being cute. The brand has reportedly built a following through solo exhibitions and shops in Tokyo too.

cupiporo, a graduate of art school with a background in copperplate printmaking and painting, brings that experience to the hand-painted designs, drawing on etching, a copperplate technique, for inspiration. A base coat of black paint is applied first across the whole surface. Color is then layered on, and a tool called a needle is used to scratch in fine lines.

cupiporo's work as a lifestyle-goods brand began when she handmade a matryoshka doll modeled after her own cat, as a birthday gift for a friend. In her garden, like a small pasture, her pet sheep and goats each cluster together, grazing on grass. That kind of scenery seems to carry over into the mood of her work too.

After painting, each piece is finished with several coats of varnish. A single set takes about a month to complete. In a corner of the workshop, where a pleasant breeze passes through, matryoshka dolls in progress hang to air-dry naturally.

Each set carries its own story — for example, "a boy walking home after buying bread on an errand, wondering what to do after meeting a hungry cat." Displayed on a shelf alongside a favorite picture book, or set at the entryway to greet guests — having just one in a room seems like it would make every day a little more fun.