KOKESHI
FAMILY
By
Rozali'Art Gallery
Vintage & Made in Japan
OUR KOKESHI
Traditional
These kokeshi are part of one of the 11 traditional styles of this Tohoku craft.
creative
These kokeshi with so-called non-traditional styles are the fruit of the desires and imagination of artisans.
Memories
These kokeshi with landscapes and haiku (poems) painted on their bodies were souvenirs to bring back from a trip.
Extremely rare
These kokeshi due to their style, their age, their craftsman or their history are rare and sought after.
Kokeshi in a nutshell
Do you know kokeshi? These Japanese dolls are the result of a true work of art craftsmanship carried out by passionate and fascinating craftsmen.
Originally these dolls were of modest size and were actually used as dolls by little girls who liked to carry them hung on their backs like their mothers with babies and young children. The boys were playing with wooden tops.
Originally from Tohoku, in northern Japan, kokeshi have been winning hearts for more than a century and a half. The craftsmen carefully choose their wood (cherry, pear, dogwood, maple) which they let dry for several years to ensure that it does not split. After having turned the wood to create the head and the body, the craftsmen create the paintings themselves with a brush with sure and precise gestures. The dolls are usually varnished or waxed, but craftsmen also sometimes choose to leave them with the raw wood.
Over time, kokeshi became real ornamental objects and no longer mere toys and began to be collected. From then on, the craftsmen could give free rein to their imagination and the sizes of the kokeshi took on dimensions far removed from those of dolls for children.
Kokeshi could also be offered for a birth and in this case be ordered according to the weight and size of the newborn.
Still others feature Japanese landscapes often accompanied by haiku (short poetry). These are then travel souvenirs to keep at home or to offer.
Kokeshi can also symbolize the wish to have a healthy child or even be a gift of love or friendship.
There are eleven traditional styles of kokeshi, all from the Tohoku region with specificities specific to each prefecture.
Miyagi Prefecture
Yajiro, Togatta, Naruko and Sakunami Styles
Fukushima Prefecture
Tsuchiyu Style
Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata, Zao and Hijiro styles
Iwate Prefecture
Nanbu-style
Akita Prefecture
Kijiyama-style
Aomori Prefecture
Tsugaru-Style
Tokyo
Rozali'art Gallery
Passionate about Japan, I opened my gallery in 2009 in the heart of the famous Paris Saint Ouen flea market.
Expert approved in Japanese prints by the CEFA (Compagnie d'Experts Français en Antiquités), I offer a wide choice of traditional, modern and contemporary prints.
During one of my many trips to Japan, I discovered Kokeshi , traditional Japanese dolls. Seduced by this popular art so intimate, I decided to share my findings. More than a hundred kokeshi are permanently on display at the gallery.
You will find on this site only vintage kokeshi from the second half of the 20th century. Whether traditional, creative (or sosaku ) or even souvenirs ( omiyage ), these dolls will make you feel this extraordinary Japanese culture.
