Kokeshi's introduction

Kokeshi (small mustard seed, kokeshi? ), all Japanese dolls, originated in northern Japan. They are made of wood by hand, with a simple trunk and an enlarged head with several thin, drawn lines to define the face. The body has a red, black and sometimes yellow flower pattern and is covered with a layer of wax. One of the characteristics of Kokeshi dolls is that they have no arms and legs. The bottom is marked with the artist's signature.

Kokeshi was originally made by Kiji-shi (wood craftsman) in Shinchi, Togatta/ Miyagi County, from which the Kokeshi making technology spread to other hot spring areas in Tō hoku area. It is said that these dolls were originally made in the middle of the Edo period (1600- 1868) and sold to people who soak in hot springs in the northeast of the country.

The shapes and patterns of traditional Kokeshi (Dento) dolls have become the characteristics of specific regions, which are divided into 1 1 types, including: Tsuchiyu, Togatta, Yajiro, Naruko, Sakunami, Yamagata, Kijiyama, Nanbu, Tsugaru, Zao-takayu and Hijioro. The main type is the Akiko variety originally produced in Miyagi Prefecture, which can also be found in Akita, Iwate and Yamagata Prefecture. The main street of Mingzi Hot Spring Resort is called Kokeshi Street, and there are shops directly run by Kokeshi sculptors.

Creative Kokeshi (Shingata) allowed artists complete freedom in shape, design and color, which was developed after World War II (1945). They are not confined to a specific area in Japan. Generally speaking, creative Kokeshi artists are all in cities.

The wood used in Kokeshi is different, the color of cherry wood is darker, and the color of dogwood is softer. Itaya-kaede is also a Japanese maple. In the process of making traditional and creative dolls, wood will be placed outdoors to dry for one to five years before it can be used.

trivial matter

At the 2007 Game Developers Conference, Shigeru Miyamoto, a famous video game developer, explained that the Kokeshi doll was part of the inspiration behind the Mii head on Nintendo Wii game console.