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With such sweet faces, kokeshi are as hard to resist as they are to pronounce. But while they have had an inarguable influence of Japanese pop and commercial art, very few people know the story of this simple wooden doll...
As with most folk arts, exact history is hard to trace - but it's thought this little doll first came into being during the Tempo period (1830 - 1843) of the Edo era (1603 -1868) in the Tohoku region of Northern Japan. Originally given to woodworkers' children for toys, and then eventually sold as souvenirs to people visiting the local hot springs, these simple wooden dolls became an art in their own right, with very specific models being handed down from master to apprentice over the years. Rising to take it's place as a simple handicraft, was the sousaku ("creative") kokeshi. And from that line came the omiyage ("souvenir") kokeshi; an often minaturized kokeshi that remains a favorite among collectors worldwide. Sadly, though the sousaku kokeshi has also been recognized as the wonderful art form it is, the tiny omiyage ("souvenir") kokeshi has not been produced in it's native land of Japan in the last 20 years. | ||
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