Kokeshi pronounced "caw-kay-she" is a Japanese, handmade,
wooden doll.
The original doll, now referred to as a traditional style
Kokeshi (style types will be reviewed later on), is created
with a round head and cylindrical body shape. The face &
body is sometimes adorned with water-colored / acrylic paint.
Place your mouse over the image to your right and see it
transform to a traditional Kokeshi doll.
(Click on butterfly on the right of each section to
return to top of page)
Variations in Translation
The blog of Nin Wilhelmina translates [Kokeshi
= Ko-child keshi-erasing] (see
sources)
Wikipedia uses
小芥子which translates to "small" by the
Google translation tool.
Hashimoto-san, of
bokujin website, explains that there is no "accepted"
meaning for the word Kokeshi. Some speculate that "Ko"
means wooden and "Keshi" means Keshiningyo,
Carton Pierre, which was
made in Sendai prefecture [UPDATE 05/08/09]
Hashimoto-san was kind enough to contact me & inform
me that after speaking to an Antique Doll Collector
he learned that the term "Keshi-Ningyo" means Terra
Cotta not Carton Pierre. Please visit
Bokujin
site to see updates & images.
Yet another example says that "Koke"
means wood piece and "Shi" means child. Hashimoto-san
supports the later because the meaning of other
locution are clear i.e "kideko" means "Ki-
wooden " and "Deko-puppet", Kibouku means "ki-wooden"
and "Houku (Bouko) - Stuffed doll", finally "Ko-wooden"
and "Keshi - keishi doll" which is in the same structure
of them. The common meaning should be "Wooden Small
Doll" (further
info)
05.08.09
Hashimoto-San states, on his site,
that the Tokyo Collectors Club in 1940 approved the
final translation of Kokeshi to be "Wooden Small
Doll".
** Please visit sources for reference links to the information
provided above.
Each Kokeshi doll follows a
specific technique and style which has often been passed
down through many generations of Kiji-shi. The bodies were
often painted with black, green or red paints in the forms of
rokuro, single
or multiple radial lines painted while still on a lathe. Additionally some were adorned with flowers
such as the sakura, chrysanthemum and wildflower amongst
others. While
the Dento Kokeshi may not be as eye catching in color as
the Shingata Kokeshi they certainly do captivate viewers
with their simple design and sweet whimsical faces.
Note: I hope to go into more detail regarding the styles
listed above in a future update. I will be listing some
great sources so be sure to check them out.
Note: There are true "Shingata" Kokeshi
which in Japan or even imported are expensive to acquire
they sell from 2k and up and are an original, single, unique
piece.
There is a sub category of these referred
to as the "Creative-Modern" Kokeshi which are quite beautiful
and artistically crafted, not to mention affordable, they
are however mass produced, with of course some "human" contact
for the delicate painting which still makes the piece original.
See modern Kokeshi video for more info.
Kiji-shi, made Kokeshi dolls on hand powered
lathes. The following video of a Kiji-shi working on
a lathe was produced by
japanese-doll.biz For detailed pictures and a step by
step description of the doll making process visit their
website.
As you can see from the video Kiji-shi use
various tools in the process of creating a single Kokeshi
doll, it is labor intensive but the results are admirable.
If you would like to see how creative /modern Kokeshi
dolls are made today, the
mustlovejapan.com website has a great video
of the Usaburo Kokeshi Shop in Gunma Prefecture.
There are various kinds of trees used to make Kokeshi. Some
types include Cherry wood (sakura), maple (taya kaede),
Persimmon (haku'un-boku) and the most widely used white
dogwood (mizuki).
The wood chosen is usually dependant
on the Kiji-shis' vision of the doll & experience with the
material. Each type of wood offers a different color, texture
and grain pattern which will effect the outcome of each
doll.