The origin of the Matryoshka is actually Japan. For the Japanese doll maker Hirata Gōyō II (Tsuneo, 1903-1981), that moment of transcendence comes when the artisan first comes to view themselves as an artist, and the doll being made no longer conforms to a simple repetition of type and technique. In Japan, the Fukurama doll—a sacred icon in honor of Fukurokuju, the Japanese god of joy—is known as the Japanese nesting doll. In 1900 Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts Savva Mamontov brought a Japanese Fukurama doll back from a trip to Japan as a gift for his wife Elizaveta.The first Matryoshka doll wasn't made until 1892. The Matryoshka or nesting doll became the one of the most recognizable symbols of Russia.