Kokeshi 074

2 dolls set the one on the right is an Original Kokeshi Doll by Ryozo Tsujita, 33cm, Child-Praying, Prime Minister's Award-Winning Artist, Showa Era. The work on the left is a work by Shido Naoyama Kokeshi Doll, 35cm Tall

Artisan | Woodworker: Tsujita, Ryozo | 1923-D

Biographical History:

Born in Odawara City, Tsujita-san was drafted into the military during WWII, and was held captive in a Siberian Labor Camp in the Soviet Union until sometime in the late 1950s. Attempting to recover his lost youth, perhaps, Ryozo began making Sosaku dolls in 1959 inspired by the woodwork of Hakone craftsmen. He opened his studio and practiced his woodworking arts in his hometown of Odawara, where he began to make Kokeshi in 1963, an effort to make up for the loss of his childhood, and where he resided until his death. He was a member of the Modern Kokeshi Craft Artist Association and was a member of the Handicraft Society. A multi-award winner, he won the coveted Prime Minister’s Award in 1981. He is one of fifty, (50), local Sosaku artists featured in a small museum in nearby Hakone.

Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:

Many of his pieces are differently treated, with the natural contrasting head, and the natural grooved and stained body. He illustrates obi, inset into the doll with a hemp motif, (In early times, “asa” was an important source of cloth, and hemp leaves formed the basis of a variety of hemp patterns). History tells us that the ‘God of Hemp’ is revered at Oasahiko Shrine in Tokushima. He also broke the tradition of one turned and undulating form and began to make dolls using multiple bulbous parts that compose the body and head, utilizing different woods to express the desired detail. He additionally renders spring with cherry blossoms, wheat, trees, and stars to give character to his dolls. He seems to enjoy the rendering of long flowing unbound hair, (taregami), and details such as the inlay of silver motifs on the body. And finally it is unusual to see a doll made of three bulbous forms that compose the body and head, utilizing different woods to express the desired detail.

Artisan | Woodworker: Shido, Shouzan | 1932-1995

Biographical History:

Shouzan began making Sosaku Kokeshi in 1959, soon after he graduated from Chuo University with a law degree. He is considered by Kokeshi collectors and critics alike to be arguably the most influential artist in the world of Sosaku Kokeshi doll-making. Shido-san’s main focus was depicting unadorned Northern girls in the traditional “Mino”, or Snow Coat, but he also produced tall, thin dolls, which were sparsely decorated. His keen sense of design, minimal use of color, and simple elegant shapes set him apart from his peers, making him one of the most collectible artists emerging from the creative period of the ‘60s winning various awards since 1961. He served as a judge of the All Japan Kokeshi Contest from 1970 to 1976. During that time Shozan published a book entitled Kizin Kasho comprising examples of his award-winning Kokeshi. His dolls have been collected and exhibited worldwide and winner of the Prime Minister’s Award, among many other awards.

Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:

Shito-san loved studying the use of combining different types of wood to gain the desired effect and to give dimension to his pieces. He also enjoyed creating slender, tall dolls to support the fact that they resemble the tall, thin trees seen throughout Japan. He incorporated a repetitive textural pattern called ‘Harmonic Chatter work’ to enhance the natural qualities of the wood in many of his works. He particularly enjoyed the textural qualities of ‘Chattering’ on the rain/snow coat, (Minomushi), which is a favorite theme, executed with minimal painted ornamentation, with an emphasis on the natural wood. In general, it is said that Japanese culture is one of modesty and humility. Occasionally saw different types of headdresses, one of which he called a ‘Tsunokakushi’, which is a wide headdress or hood, that covered elaborate hairstyles. We are told that the Japanese people regulate their behavior and response by reading faces and the eyes of others. Here, as well as elsewhere, you will see many examples of different characteristics of the eye's expressions. His most famous doll, which was considered a favorite was called “Mai”, a dancer, which was an elegant and slender doll with a beautifully formed Kimono focusing on traditional hair design (Mage) with an emphasis on a brightly colored “obi” which brings forth the best use of complex geometry to create traditional Japanese clothing elements which were created in 1970. 

Shito-san was a prolific artist/woodworker of Kokeshi dolls some of which were whimsical, some focusing on calligraphy citing haiku (poems). We additionally see unusual subjects focused on Zen Buddhism and figures of Daruma, (Bodhidharma) of which most were made in a “roly-poly” type figure seen throughout festivals in Japan