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Vintage Japanese Kokeshi Doll For Sale

Vintage Japanese Kokeshi Doll
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Vintage Japanese Kokeshi Doll:
$24.00

Kokeshiare simple wooden dolls with no arms or legs that have been crafted for more than 150 years as a toy for children. Japanese dolls, originally from the northeastern region of Japan., are handmade from wood having a simple trunk and head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body often has floral and/or ring designs painted in red, black, and sometimes green, purple, blue, or yellow inks, and covered with a layer of wax. Since the 1950s, kokeshi makers have signed their work, usually on the bottom and sometimes on the back.


Kokeshi were first produced by artisans proficient with a lathe, at the Shinchi Shuraku, near the T?gatta Onsen in Zao, from where kokeshi-making techniques spread to other spa areas in the T?hoku region. It is said that these dolls were originally made during the middle of the Edo period (1600-1868) to be sold to people who were visiting the hot springs in the north-east of the country.


The woods used for kokeshi vary, with cherry used for its darkness and dogwood for its softer qualities. Itaya-kaede, a Japanese maple, is also used in the creation of both traditional and creative dolls. The wood is left outdoors to season for one to five years before it can be used.


This one stands at 9 1/2" with a head of diameter of 2 3/4".


Thank you for looking.



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