こけし Kokeshi Dolls
Kokeshi are wooden dolls that originate from the Tōhoku region of north-eastern Japan and which emerged as a folk craft from hot spring mountain villages at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868 CE). They are characterised by their elongated, limbless bodies, disproportionately large heads and delicate hand-painted features.
In the villages where kokeshi were made, they were often given as gifts on the birth of a child (rather like the way we give teddy bears as gifts to newborns nowadays), with the baby’s name painted on the reverse of the body. In the absence of other toys, the child would grow up playing with his or her kokeshi doll.
With the arrival of the Meiji period in the 1860s, farmers without work during the colder months and tourists began travelling to the mountains to stay in rural inns and recuperate in the natural hot springs, or to make religious pilgrimages (the Tōhoku region’s Dewa Sanzan mountains comprise one of Japan’s most sacred destinations). The same wood craftsmen saw an opportunity to produce and sell kokeshi as souvenirs and kokeshi began to evolve from being a quaint folk toy to become an ornament and covetable collectors’ item.
A Japanese Traditional Art
With the exception of actually cutting down the trees, kokeshi makers carry out every part of the making process themselves. The skills were traditionally passed down through the family line, with kokeshi masters usually training their first-born sons as apprentices in their own homes and workshops. However, with many master kokeshi makers now in their late 70s and older, attention is being focused on securing the future of this important folk art by training a new generation of artisans.
Traditional Kokeshi
Traditional kokeshi is the original type of kokeshi. All six prefectures in the Tōhoku region – Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima – have a heritage of kokeshi making and there are 12 styles of doll across the region, each hailing from a different hot spring (onsen) town or area, and differentiated by head and body shape, facial features and decoration.
Creative Kokeshi
Creative kokeshi are completely free in terms of shape, design and color. It is the unrestrained imagination of the individual artist that creates these small works of art. Creative Kokeshi are relatively new, having developed after World War II. Their popularity has grown as people recognize their artistry. Creative Kokeshi are not made in one particular region of Japan. In fact, while many traditional Kokeshi artists are located in more rural areas, creative Kokeshi artists are often found in the cities. While traditional Kokeshi use a similar pattern in each doll, creative Kokeshi are more free in their style.
Our unique collection
Discover the different styles of our creative kokeshi collection: