Thematic renderings of famous samurai warriors, characters from Kabuki and Noh plays, and other areas of traditional Japanese as well as local culture have been joined by more contemporary subjects to form the seven main categories or types of Hakata Ningyo. The figures are typically between 50 and 60 centimeters tall, and are based on unglazed pottery forms made of the very purest and whitest of clays. Usually, their dress represents the fine local textiles (please see Hakata-Ori and tie-dyed Hakata-Shibori, below) that also have brought fame to the artisans of the region.

Around 1607, as Fukuoka Castle was being constructed, tile craftsman Soshichi Masaki made dolls from left-over clay and presented them to Lord Nagamasa Kuroda. Between 1818 and 1830, a man named Kichibei Nakanoko and a master of the fourth-generation of the Soshichi Family used the Soshichi firing techniques to create a type of clay doll that became very popular with the masses—and its fame eventually spread throughout Japan. Today, there are two groups, some 80 persons in all, that specialize in crafting the figures. Every year in April, an exhibition of new works is held in Tokyo.

Hakata-Ori — This unique weaving technique, dating back to the mid-16th century, uses numerous, relatively thin warps and fatter wefts to create a deeply textured "floating" effect in the pattern. It is used mainly in obi (kimono sashes), but today can also be found in neckties, handbags, even decorative tapestries.

Hakata-Shibori — Silk and cotton are the materials usually used in this colorful form of textile produced for generations in Hakata and the neighboring parts of Fukuoka. Essentially, it uses tie-dying techniques originating in China and Southeast Asia, which have been "improved" upon to such an extent that it can take as many as 30 days for a craftsperson to tie the threads and dye a length of cloth long enough for a single kimono. The patterns and color combinations achieved through such painstaking work are astonishing, as you might well imagine.