Kokeshi usaburo workshops 1970-80 Japan - plum blossom decoration

Kokeshi doll - japan 1970-80. Usaburo okamoto workshops, 1917-2009. Influenced by buddhism, the artist seeks the play of color and grain of wood. The headdresses evoke the stupa (buddhist symbol, or buddha's bun). Flowers are engraved and painted - wear, usual stripes. The artist's signature in hollow and red stamp - he won more than 25 awards between 1962-86. History of kokeshis: originally, were made from wood falls by peasants in winter and sold to the people of the city. So they have the appearance of bowling. They were toys for girls, or offered as a token of love or friendship; symbolize the desire to have a child. The doll comes from a shinto communion with nature (forest / wood / landscape). Shinto places links between landscapes and feminine forms. They are, modesty, discretion, femininity, feminine ideal. A double category appears around 1950: traditional kokeshi (dento) and creative kokeshi (sosaku), free of forms and décor. Symbol of lost childhood, they now evolve with the worlds manga and kawaii, there are a hundred variants.