Antique Traditional Sakanumi Kokeshi by Hiraga, Kenjiro (Master)
Dimensions: 11-4/“h
This Sakanumi Kokeshi is made of one piece of turned wood Kanibana crab flowers dominate the body design. The flowers are painted in a very bold, stylized design in black, and painted bands on the body as well as a black ring on the top of the head of the doll. The doll has disproportionately larger heads that are set on top of a formed shoulder giving some relief to the cylindrical body form. The eyes are referred to as a double lid with a bana tear drop nose only used by this family for this style of doll. It has bangs and side hair fringes on both sides of the face. There is a poem and the artist's signature in script on the back of the doll
This doll is an older Kokeshi form of lathe-turned doll only made from Mizuki, a very pale, fine-grained variety of dogwood, which grows in the Yamagata area.
Condition: Excellent meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship showing a wonderful-developed patina commensurate which suggests a degree of wear that corresponds to its vintage. It is void of damage, cracks, breakage, or repairs and meets all the standards of the collectible Traditional Kokeshi.
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Japanese Traditional Kokeshi | Yamagata-Sakunami-Kei (Family)
Prefecture: Miyagi
Origin:
Unique to this strain of the original ten traditional types is the fact that the Yamagata Kokeshi originated at Sakunami Onsen in Miyagi Prefecture, and produced by the Kobayashi family. The Kobayashi family later moved to the city of Yamagata in the prefecture of the same name. However, the Hiraga family stayed in Sakunami and continued producing the same style doll, which is why these Kokeshi are made in two different locations. Because there are two very different body shapes in this group, many people consider them separately, but due to the confusion over who actually created the first of this type, we will discuss them as one family.
Collector's note – characteristics/painting style:
Both shapes are made of one piece of wood, and plum and crab-flower chrysanthemum, (Kiku), blossoms dominate the body design. The flowers are usually painted in a very bold, stylized design in colours of red and dark green, and painted or grooved bands will ring the top and the bottom of the dolls. The dolls have disproportionately larger heads, but while the Yamagata doll has a very slender body, the later Sakunami dolls have wide upper bodies, and very narrow bases. Both look quite top-heavy, leading some people to assume that originally they were much smaller, and designed to be hand-held toys, rather than freestanding dolls.
Indeed, these dolls are one of the older Kokeshi forms, as they date to the early Meiji period, (1868-1912). Another unique feature of the Sakunami dolls is the fact they are only made from Mizuki, a very pale, fine-grained variety of dogwood, which grows in the Yamagata area.
Notable artists:
Hiraga Tadashi, b. 1937
Hiraga Kenjiro, Master
Kobayashi Koutaro, b. 1936
Kobayashi Eizo, Master
Kobayashi Seitaro, Grand Master