Kokeshi 0144

Warrior- work by Sansaku Sekiguchi. 36cm 

Biographical History:

Sekiguchi-san began his artistic career as a Japanese painter. While his Kokeshi are considered very modern, Sansaku trained as a traditional artist from 1951 to 1957, before focusing on Sosaku Kokeshi when in 1958 he devoted himself entirely to creating Sosaku Kokeshi. Sekiguchi-san is the only artist who has been certified as a ‘Master of Modern Kokeshi’ by the Japanese Government and has won awards for more than 50 of his dolls.  He opened his museum in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Born in Shibukawa city in Gunma-ken, Sansaku and his two sons, Toa and Toshio, his daughter Izumi, and his son-in-law, have produced many award-winning dolls. One of his dolls is on permanent display at the Kerkira Oriental Art Museum in Greece. Along with fellow Sosaku Kokeshi artist Watanabe Masao, he no longer has to submit his work for pre-juried exhibitions. In 2008, Sansaku received the Contemporary Master Craftsman Oju Medal of Honor.