Awakening of Love - Kokeshi Doll - Master Okamoto usaburo - circa 1970 Japan

A young girl dressed in a kimono patterned with plum blossoms; shy and reserved, the expression of the soft and dreamy face underlined by the very long eyelashes, eyes downcast. In japanese tradition, the plum blossom is a symbol of rebirth and strength, as it blooms in the still cold month of february. There is a reference here to the "moe", a traditional concept linking the state of growing plants to beauty. Japan sees beauty in all that is "akanai", that is, fragile and ephemeral. Thus okamoto had titled this doll " koigokoro ", which means " awakening of love ". She wears a voluminous headdress, typical of usaburo productions - the bun is a buddhist reference (wisdom). Some small wear and small shocks of manipulations - scratches on the cap. Pills. ----master usaburo: after being trained in the manufacture of inkstones at the end of the 30s, he opened after the war a workshop in gunma. He invented new styles by introducing techniques using turning machines (techniques learned during his mobilization during the war years). The painting is combined with intaglio engraving, polishing and stencil drawings. He loved the grain of keyaki and chestnut wood, hitherto little used, very common in his native region. ------- about kokeshis kokeshi appear in the years 1820-40 (end of the edo period). Originally, they were made from scraps of wood by artisans and peasants and sold to the people of the city. The oldest have a keel shape and may have a movable head with red in dominant color. They are originally made of wood (cherry, pear, maple). They were toys for girls, or offered as a token of love or friendship; or symbolized the desire to have a healthy child. The doll comes from a shinto communion with nature (forest / wood / landscape). Shinto places links between the pa.