Kokeshi Otomesode Doll - Young Girl in Kimono

Kokeshi dolls are part of Japanese popular arts.
These traditional Japanese wooden dolls and figurines, created during the EDO (1600 - 1868) and originating in the Tohoku region, were originally made for children.

According to the popular beliefs, they were attributed to the function of transmitting messages they hid in their trunk.

The followers of the onsen (thermal springs) of the Tohoku had the habit of buying them to offer them as souvenir.

These small dolls were also a source of revenue for local populations during the winter months of farming activities.

The most popular kokeshis are made of wood to dogworms, famous for its hardness and strength.

(Versions are also available in cherry wood.)

Their traditional composition is simple: a small round head on a simple trunk.

The surface, perfectly smoothed, is delicately painted with a brush.

The finesse of features surprises.

The finish by applying a polished and lustrous wax layer gives them all their characteristic shine.

In the seventeenth century, they mainly represented children and sported longitudinal forms.

Contemporary versions are less slender, rounder and are available in animal versions, elderly, or more fanciful, of zodiac signs, characters or popular creatures.
The reason is simple, they are coveted collectors as much for their aesthetics and for the virtues that are lent to them: Happiness, Health ...

A must of Japanese folk art!