Naruko, Miyagi

Naruko (鳴子町, Naruko-chō) was a town located in Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

[citation needed] Nestled in the mountainous backbone of Tōhoku region, Naruko is located entirely within the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park.

Haiku poet Matsuo Bashō passed through the area on the trip that became his masterwork Oku no Hosomichi.

Naruko is one among many places to claim to have originated the kokeshi, a cylindrical wooden doll emblematic of Tōhoku.

The Japan Kokeshi Museum is located in Naruko, and some 80 craftsmen work full-time at the art today.