Kokeshi Books

Evans and Wolf's book -- a work of art.

In Japan, it seems, a topic's popularity is commensurate with the number of books available at the bookstore about said topic. For instance, bookstores in this country are full of volumes on pottery, railroads, architecture, cooking, plants, bugs, hiking, mountains, and so forth. The fact that there are almost no books available on kokeshis sadly reveals a general lack of interest in this wonderful craft. However, there are some available if one knows where to look. For books in English, there is only one that I am aware of: A relatively new book (2005) from the United States that's still available entitled Kokeshi: Wooden Treasures of Japan by Michael Evans and Robert Wolf. I got mine new on eBay a few years ago and it's been well worth it. For English-speaking enthusiasts this beautiful work is a must have, as it covers both traditional and creative/modern kokeshis. I think it's fair to say that this is THE foundational work on kokehsis in English, although there is definitely room for more detailed works in the future.

A page from Evans and Wolf.

Another page from Evans and Wolf.

The Japanese-language book on kokeshis that everyone ought to have -- Japanese and foreigners alike -- is Cochae's (A collaborative name) work from 2008 entitled こけし (Kokeshi) in Japanese, or Kokeshi Book in English. The book covers the eleven traditional kokeshi families from Tohoku, as well as ephemera and kokeshi goods. No modern kokeshis here! Alas, for those who don't read Japanese there is little English in it, but then, why not use it to practice reading Japanese? The book's photography, design, and eye for humor will be evident to everyone, and in fact it's as much a book on design and color as it is about kokeshis. Tellingly, when I've seen this work in bookstores it's been in the graphic design section rather than in the art or traditional crafts sections. Kokeshi Book is a must have for anyone interested in kokeshis, and for only 1,680 yen it's a bargain.

Cover of Kokeshi Book. That's a Tsugaru kokeshi on the cover by the way.

A random page from Kokeshi Book. Most photos focus on the intrinsic whimsicalness of traditional kokeshis.

As one's kokeshi connoisseurship develops, so too does the need for more detailed information about these colorful wooden dolls. I found this one -- Traditional Arts: Tohoku Kokeshi (伝統工芸東北のこけし) by Mr. Takai Satoshi (高井佐寿) at an online used bookstore for about 3,000 yen, though its cover price is 5,000 yen. Even though it came out in 2009 it's already out of print, but I think copies are still available in Japan. There are 140 color pages, and if your goal is to just stare at page after page of different kokeshis this book is for you. It's especially useful for learning to identity the different kokeshi makers' styles.

Traditional Arts: Tohoku Kokeshi cover.

Random pages from the book.

Close up of a page from Traditional Arts: Tohoku Kokeshi. 

Anyone who has read other posts on this blog knows that Naoko and I get a great deal of pleasure out of visiting kokeshi makers at their workshops -- that's the adventure part. The following two books are fantastic handbooks for helping to find out precisely where those workshops are located. I suppose the downside to these books has been finding that many of the kokeshi makers up in Tohoku are in their 80s or more, and possibly have already gone on to the next world. But still, these books should be very useful for anyone embarking on a serious kokeshi adventure!

Newest Record of Kokeshi Makers, 2003. A friend loaned this to us -- I don't know if it's still available.

A page from Newest Record of Kokeshi Makers.

A True Record of Kokeshi Makers, 2005. Also on loan to us. We'll have to get our own copy.

A page from A True Record of Kokeshi Makers. 

Nishiogi Kokeshi Festival

Close-up of the event poster.

Kokeshi adventures are where you find them. On June 5th Naoko, the girls and I headed to Nishiogikubo (西荻窪) near downtown Tokyo for the first Nishiogi Kokeshi Matsuri (西荻こけし祭り). We found out about the event through a Japanese kokeshi blog, but didn't really know what to expect. Naoko did know, however, that there would be some "kokeshi goods" available. Kokeshi goods, as can be seen in some of the photos below, are kokeshi-inspired crafts of various sorts -- a fun sub-culture within the world of kokeshis. We bought a few of those of course, and not surprisingly there were kokeshis available for sale, both new and used. We came home with two beautiful ones: A humorous Togatta (遠刈田) and a striking Naruko (鳴子) -- see photo. I must say that there was a really nice feeling at this "festival". Kokeshi lovers, it turns out, are a very pleasant group of people. There was a presentation of some sort later in the day -- hence the chairs in the photo -- but we weren't able to stay for that. Overall, a grade-A kokeshi adventure!

There were lots of people -- many more than were expected.

Checking out some kokeshi goods.

Display and kokeshi artwork, possibly by manga artist Sakura Momoko (さくらももこ).

Kokeshis for sale.

More kokeshis for sale.

Kokeshi fans at one of the tables.

Honest to goodness kokeshi-inspired record album artwork from the old days. The guy displaying these acutally had a working record player, which was new to my kids.

Our two newest kokeshis. The chubby one on the left is a Togatta, and the one on the right is a Naruko. Both are small.

Kokeshi-inspired stickers, some of which remind me of the old Nancy comic strip.

Kokeshi goods.

Brochures for visiting kokeshi-making areas in northeastern Japan.

A kokeshi fan made this pamphlet -- 50 yen -- in order to help fellow connoisseurs find all 25 kokeshi makers in the Naruko onsen area.  

A kokeshi-inspired tenugui (てぬぐい), a light hand towel. Some of the sale's proceeds went to support disaster relief in the Tohoku area.

Another kokeshi-inspired tenugui. As with the one above, some of the proceeds went to support disaster relief in the Tohoku area.

What American can resist a t-shirt, especially one that has all eleven of Japan's kokeshi families on it?

Tokyo Kokeshi Tomo no Kai 東京こけし友の会

It would seem that at a certain point the most natural thing for a serious kokeshi connoisseur to do is join the Tokyo Kokeshi Tomo no Kai (Tokyo Kokeshi Friends Association). Naoko joined the club soon after finding out about it, began receiving the association's journal, and on April 24th attended her first meeting held at an obscure office building in the heart of Tokyo. The goal of the club is fellowship with other kokeshi enthusiasts, disseminating knowledge about the world of kokeshis, meeting kokeshi makers, and acquiring new pieces for one's collection. According to Naoko, the really fun part of the gathering was, of course, getting the chance to buy new kokeshis which could be had at fair prices. In the drawing to determine the order of who would get to go first, second, third and so on, Naoko got a low number and therefore had choice pick among the many dolls available at the front of the room that day. She came home with 13 kokeshis of various types and sizes, including the meeting's commemorative kokeshi, a doll that all attending members received. Another successful kokeshi adventure, right in downtown Tokyo!

The club in session. Lots of kokeshis sitting on the table in the front.

It wouldn't be a kokeshi club without kokeshis!

Naoko's haul that day.

New acquisitions -- all small kokeshis. Note the attitude of the doll on the right.

More new acquisitions. Again, all small kokeshis. 

This was the commemorative kokeshi that all members received. It's about five inches high.

The club's journal, Feb. 2011, issue 601!

Kokeshis and an Earthquake

Just after the earthquake. It could have been worse.

Traditional kokeshis are, by design, top heavy. Not that kokeshi makers necessarily produce them to be top heavy, but with their typically large round heads (the center of gravity) and long, thin cylindrical bodies, even on a normal day these things topple over pretty easily. As the world knows, on 11 March 2011 Tokyo and all of northern Honshu island suffered a massive earthquake. Locally we felt it as a strong five (Japanese scale), which made our 9-story apartment building wobble like it was made out of rubber. It was absolutely amazing! A few of our kokeshi dolls fell over, though Naoko -- true kokeshi enthusiast that she is -- had the presence of mind to lay a couple of the big ones down before they had a chance to fall. We can only imagine what the kokeshi makers' workshops up in Tohoku looked like after the shaking stopped. After all, Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures, hardest hit by the quake, are the heart of the traditional kokeshi world. It turns out, though, that toppled kokeshis haven't been their biggest problem. Apart from the incessant aftershocks that have made fine detail work difficult tourism to that part of Japan has understandably dried up, and since kokeshi makers are very reliant on tourists for their trade times are definitely tough. Naoko follows a number of Japanese blogs about traditional kokeshis, and along with their fellow countrymen the craftsmen are keeping a stiff upper lip. Nonetheless, this must be an extremely difficult time for them.  

Naoko assisted some of these into their down position before we left the building.

Kijidokoro Sato Kokeshi 木地処さとうこけし

Welcome to Iwaki

On the weeked of 5-6 March we drove north to Fukushima Prefecture (福島県) in southernmost Tohoku, the land of kokeshis! Our quest was the Kijidokoro Sato Kokeshi (木地処さとうこけし) studio and workshop in Iwaki City (いわき市), an old coal mining area and port on the Pacific Ocean.
Because we expected a long drive we were on the road by 7:30 am, picked up my father-in-law on the way, and got on the Joban Highway (常磐高速道路) by about 9:15 am. Yes, it took over 1.5 hours to actually get to the highway -- that's Tokyo city driving for you. In absolutely perfect weather we headed north from the Oizumi Interchange, encountering some light traffic at first, and were at the Iwaki exit by about 11:30. It took about another thirty minutes to find the kokeshi workshop which was a house located in a semi-residential, semi-agricultural area in the city suburbs. Note: Non-Japanese beware. This is another place that would be impossible to find without Japanese-language reading ability.

Giant kokeshis. Much to everyone's horror I knocked over the one on the right. Fortunately, no harm done!

The workshop as seen from the street.

Crafting kokeshis.

Kijidokoro Kokeshi is a branch of the Fukushima Prefecture traditional kokeshi style called Yajiro (弥治郎), named after the Yajiro Onsen (hot spring) area in the north Fukushima mountains. The Sato family, the proprietors, are part of a Yajiro kokeshi-making familial line on Mrs. Sato's side. Even though they are no longer making their kokeshis in Yajiro there is no doubt that Kijidokoro is part of that tradition, though perhaps they might be called the Iwaki branch. Yajiro kokeshis are typically identified by the concentric circles on the top of the head, which in the case the Kichidokoro ones. They also tend to have very whimsical faces that are surprisingly different from other kokeshi types.
As with other kokeshi workshops we have visited, there was a chance to watch kokeshis being made, and on this day one of the sons was at the lathe making kokeshi bodies. Mr. and Mrs. Sato also make kokeshis, as does their other son. It is always fun to see kokeshis being born, as it were.

In the studio.

The Kijidokoro Kokeshi studio is really just the Sato's living room, which makes it nice and homey.
We were welcomed right in for some tea and cookies, to talk kokeshis, and to see what they had to offer. Dozens of nicely arranged kokeshis adorned the studio, organized by whichever family member had made them. Once again we were overwhelmed by the choices offered, especially since each was so beautiful. The Satos make a wide variety of kekeshi sizes, from the absolutely tiny to enormous. I liked the huge ones (about 1.5 feet high), but at 35,000 yen each I'll have to save my money.

Tiny kokeshis.

Kokeshi kendamas.

Naoko was drawn to the diminutive kokeshis, which Mr. Sato sells as small boxed sets for 5,000 yen. They also make the tiny ones into Japanese seals, which according to Mr. Sato have been very popular. Anyway, one can see just how small they are in the picture above, dwarfed as they are by a Han Solo Battle of Hoth action figure. Those are all hand-lathed and hand-painted. Exquisite! The Satos also make and sell wooden toys (tops, kendama), and kokeshi-themed items such as cell-phone straps and magnets. Overall nothing was cheap, but these are hand-made crafts from Japan so that is to be expected.

Standard kokeshis that are now part of our collection.

Besides a box of three tiny kokeshis, we bought three standard-sized ones that are good examples of what the Satos produce. The photo clearly shows the head rings that identify a Yajiro kokeshi, but I would like to think that these are, at least in some small way, unique to Iwaki.

Telltale concentric rings of a Yajiro kokeshi.

In sum, our kokeshi aventures continue!

Variety.

More.

Small, but not the tiniest. 

Freshly painted kokeshis that will become seals.