Christmas Kokeshis クリスマスのこけし

For those who don't know, the Japanese people on the whole love American-style Christmas. That is, the lights, the decorations, and even Santa Claus. While the connection with Christianity seems to be vaguely understood in Japan, as we'll see below kokeshi makers are catering to the love of Christmas with some really creative designs. We have acquired a small collection of these kokeshis, and each Christmas Naoko pulls them out along with other Christmas decorations (see photos below). Meanwhile, in the spirit of kokeshi connoisseurship I bought a fake Christmas tree this year and covered it with small-sized traditional kokeshis. Many makers produce tiny kokeshis and put strings on them for use as cell-phone straps, and they happen to make perfect ornaments especially since their colors tend to be similar to Christmas colors. I found that smaller kokeshis can be secured to the tree using the fake tree's wire branches, so why not? Overall, I think we've started an innovative new kokeshi tradition.

Our kokeshi-themed Christmas tree.

A small Sakunami kokeshi 作並系 by Mr. Hiraga Teruyuki 平賀輝幸さん. You can see that I wrapped the branch around the kokeshi to keep it in place.

Another small Sakunami kokeshi by Mr. Hiraga. We received this and the one above at a recent Tokyo Kokeshi Tomo no Kai 東京こけし友の会 meeting.

A nice Yamagata kokeshi 山形系 by Mr. Kobayashi Kiyoshi 小林清さん. 

A very unique Naruko kokeshi 鳴子系 by Mr. Izu Toru 伊豆徹さん.

A small Zao kokeshi 蔵王系 by Mr. Mito Hiroshi 水戸寛さん.

A mini Tsugaru kokeshi 津軽系 by Mr. Abo Kanemitsu 阿保金光さん. 

During a recent adventure to Sakunami Onsen 作並温泉 in the mountains near Sendai City we spent some time with traditional kokeshi craftsman Mr. Hiraga Teruyuki. I'll discuss that kokeshi adventure in an upcoming blog, but I did need to mention his Christmas kokeshis here. Naoko was completely taken with them, and they really are wonderful little handicrafts. I would guess that if they were brought to the US or Europe they would be extremely popular. Mr. Hiraga has four types that he creates for Christmas: Angels, Santa kokeshis, kokeshi Santas, and snowmen. He didn't have any snowmen when we were visiting, but we did get examples of the other kinds. These kokeshis definitely blur the line between traditional and modern kokeshis, though I would put them in the traditional camp 1) because they were made by a traditional kokeshi craftsman, and 2) because the faces are basically those of traditional kokeshis. In case you're wondering, Mr. Hiraga sells these little masterpieces for 1,000 yen a piece -- a bargain.

Mr. Hiraga's angel kokeshis.

A Hiraga Christmas kokeshi.

Two more Hiraga Christmas kokeshis.

Another branch of Christmas kokeshis is Santas, and I'm always struck by the cleverness of these Japanese designers who are dealing with such a non-Japanese tradition. From what I can tell modern kokeshi makers were the first to make them, but traditional kokeshi makers are also creating these fun little holiday figures that even the most anti-Christmas scrooge could appreciate.

A Santa kokeshi by traditional kokeshi craftsman Mr. Sato Hideyuki 佐藤英之さん that has a surprise....

Surprise! The head is a top.

A little round-ball Santa kokeshi. This is just amazing. 

Though not exactly a Santa kokeshi, the delightful little winter kokeshi on the left is by a modern kokeshi maker  named Chie ちえ (I don't know her full name). The Santa on the right is by Usaburo Kokeshi, which creates many of the modern kokeshis seen in souvenier shops throughout Japan. Absolutely fantastic.  

Another round-ball type Santa kokeshi.

A Santa kokeshi by Mr. Hiraga.

Another type of Christmas kokeshi is the snowman, also pioneered by modern kokeshi makers like Usaburo but also made by tradional kokeshi makers. We've only found three of these so far, but I suspect they will become more popular over the next few years.

Egg-shaped Santa and snowman. 

An Usaburo round-ball kokeshi snowman.

We found this snowman at a Tokyo Kokeshi no Kai meeting. It's by a traditional Naruko kokeshi craftsman named Mr. Sato Yoshihiro 佐藤賀宏さん.

Nuruyu Onsen 温湯温泉

Before continuing with the Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan, I need to mention the Nuruyu Onsen 温湯温泉 section of Kuroishi City 黒石市 where the Kokeshi Kan is located, and where a number of kokeshi makers are have their workshops. Nuruyu's identity is connected with kokeshis, though not to the extreme of places like Naruko Onsen 鳴子温泉 (see my blog posts from October and November). Because the goal of our big adventure was meeting kokeshi makers we spent one night at an old inn located in Nuruyu Onsen. It had its own onsen (hot spring bath), and considering the age of the building I would guess we had the same experience that travellers to Nuruyu have had for many decades. Would I recommend the place? Sure. In fact most Americans and other foreigners would undoubtedly feel like they were having a very Japanese experience. Naturally there were of kokeshi-themed signs here and there, though we did not see any shops selling kokeshis, nor did we find any kokeshi workshops. We were pretty close to the home of kokeshi craftsman Ms. Yamaya Rei 山谷レイさん, but decided not to bother her since she didn't have a shop sign on her house. We did find some of Ms. Yamaya's kokeshis at the Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan (see upcoming blog), but it would have been nice to meet her. We only stayed one night, and the next morning we went to the public onsen across the street from our inn. It was fantastic (did I mention I love onsens about as much as I love kokeshis?), though the water was close to being unbearably hot. Interestingly, there were a couple of older local men in there with me, and while my Japanese is pretty good I honestly could not understand a thing they were saying since they were speaking in the Tsugaru dialect 津軽弁. Until that moment I did not realize how different it is from standard Japanese. And one other thing about Nuruyu and other onsen towns: The people in these areas have amazingly healthy looking skin, no matter what their age, which I attribute to spending a lot of time in onsens. Our younger daughter has eczema, and we noticed that by the end of this kokeshi adventure (that was equally an "onsen adventure") her eczema had cleared up entirely. Although this is anecdotal, it does suggest that hot spring water is indeed good for human skin.

The gate you go through when entering the Nuruyu Onsen area. For those who don't know, an onsen can either be a single hot bath, or a larger area with multiple hot baths.

We stayed in this old inn called Izuka Ryokan 飯塚旅館.

The public onsen in the middle of town. It's a beautiful brand new building with near-scalding hot water coming right out of the ground, necessary for surviving the harsh winters in western Aomori Prefecture.

There were signs of kokeshi heritage around Nuruyu Onsen. The restaurant where we ate dinner listed its menu on kokeshi-shaped boards hanging on the wall, a local barber shop had a nice kokeshi-shaped shop sign, and by the river was a large modern sculpture that could be nothing other than a kokeshi. The best bit of kokeshi-ness was located in a nearby park -- a massive Tsuguru kokeshi slide! The identity of this area is undeniably intertwined with kokeshis.

This meaning of this kokeshi sign says "Jumping out caution"; i.e., "Watch out for children."

A barber shop in Nuruyu.

Parking lot sign.

Note the menu on the wall in the upper left of the photo.

The bridge leading to the Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan had this marvelous Tsuguru-type kokeshi bust on it.

Kokeshi sculpture on a path along the river.

A beautiful park near Nuruyu Onsen. A giant kokeshi slide dominates the playground area.

Behold! The kokeshi slide, which is of course a Tsugaru type.

Sitting right next to the Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan is the Tsugaru Densho Kogei Kan 津軽伝承工芸館, a place for local artisans (crafts and food) to make and sell their wares. I highly recommend it as part of a trip to the Kokeshi Kan, if nothing else for the free ashiyu 足湯 (foot hot bath), but also for the human-sized kokeshi lanterns decorating the facility. The lanterns are lit up at night, and look especially charming in snow. 

Kokeshi lanterns.

Another kokeshi lantern.

The foot bath, the hot water from which flows throughout the facility creating a nice atmosphere.

These nice hanging things (maybe also lanterns) reminded me of pinatas. But who would want to smash something like this, even if it was filled with candy?

A good view of some kokeshi lanterns at the Tsugaru Densho Kogei Kan.

Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan 1 津軽こけし館１

There are a few kokeshi Meccas out there, and one of them has to be the Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan in the hills outside of Kuroishi City in western Aomori Prefecture. First and foremost it's a museum with a fantastic collection 5,000 kokeshis, which I'll cover in the next blog. More importantly is that the Kokeshi Kan is a venue for Aomori-based artisans to sit at the lathe, demonstrate their craft, and talk to guests. In that sense Kokeshi Kan is also a cultural center. Finally, it has a fantastic gift shop that is in honor of Tsugaru and other traditional kokeshis. Naoko and I visited this place back in 1994 or so, and all I remember is a dark, stodgy, government-owned facility that merely housed the kokeshi collection. I do not recall a gift shop, nor do I remember such the bright, vibrant atmosphere that one finds at the Kokeshi Kan today. The current management has to be behind this change: They are young and innovative, and really understand what is appealing about kokeshis. This comes out in the tasteful design of the shop, and what is for sale. For more info (in Japanese of course) see the official web site: http://tsugarukokeshi.com/index.html. Next installment: A visit to the museum floor!

Exterior shot of the Kokeshi Kan, one of the Meccas for the kokeshi world. As far as I'm concerned all kokeshi enthusiasts must make the trip here at some point.

Tsugaru Kokeshi Kan memorial plaque. The building was constructed by the old National Land Agency as a local project from 1985 to 1987.

There were a number of these Tsugaru kokeshi lanterns around the Kokeshi Kan.

Naoko talking with the Kokeshi Kan's manager Mr. Yamada.

Some beautiful Tsugaru kokeshis from various makers for sale in the gift shop.

More Tsugaru kokeshis in the gift shop.

Abo family Darumas in the gift shop. What a really great design, and the primary colors make them stick out. Too bad I didn't get one, but then I could say that about a lot of kokeshis during this trip.

An explanatory display about Tsugaru kokeshis. Naoko provided the English translation a few weeks before we arrived.

Ah, the kids section. Many of these items are Tsugaru-related key chains and knicknacks. Some are kokeshi related too.

These little guys are attached to an address card and are for mailing through the Japanese postal service. I don't know if it's an old tradition, but it's a fun one.

Local Tsugaru foods -- look closely and see if there's a kokeshi on the label.

Kokeshis for sale. We managed to hold off on purchases (for the most part), instead waiting until we met the makers in their workshops.

Giant kokeshi-art mural in the Kokeshi Kan work room.

The biggest wooden kokeshi in the world standing with a giant wooden Daruma and Tsugaru kokeshi lantern. I didn't ask, but I wonder if this stayed standing after the 3-11 earthquake...

I loved this one. I don't know if this kokeshi was purposely stained orange, or it became orangish over time, but its coloring is unusual and striking.

Yep, there's one of these cut-outs for photos, and luckily the girls are always willing to become kokeshis.

I think the Kokeshi Kan exists as much to promote local kokeshi makers and the kokeshi tradition as it is a museum.  On this day master craftsman Mr. Mori Mitsuo 盛美津雄さん, a direct decendent of the originator of the Tsugaru kokeshi, was giving a demonstration. 

On the way up to the second floor and the museum is this cool kokeshi kite. Kites are a Tsugaru tradition, so it's doubly cool.

Abo Kokeshi in Nuruyu Onsen 温湯温泉の阿保こけし

The Abo's house and workshop. The top of the sign says "Welcome to Kuroishi."

On June 25th we left western Aomori and headed due east toward Nuruyu Onsen 温湯温泉 in the hills outside of Kuroishi, our next overnight destination. For most of our trip we had spectacular weather, and this day was no different -- a cool breeze was blowing under a slightly hazy but bright blue sky without a hint of the brown that normally mars Tokyo's skies. That's Tohoku in the summer.
We made good time on the Tohoku expressway and found that we were too early to check into our room at the onsen, so  what does one do on a kokeshi adventure? Why, hunt for kokeshis of course, and luckily we no trouble finding the Abo kokeshi workshop 阿保こけしや.

At the Abo's you slide open the door, put on some slippers, and observe kokeshis as Naoko is demonstrating above.

The Abo's are a father (Muchihide 六知秀) and son (Masafumi 正文) kokeshi team of the Tsugaru tradition, making both the classical narrow waist type, and another, more primitive-looking branch of the Tsugaru style that's mostly bare wood, a realistic face, thin neck, and limited striping. I'm a big fan of the primitive style, and although I'm hardly an expert I would argue that they are almost a kokeshi type unto themselves. I wonder why the disctinction doesn't exist? Or maybe it does. Anyway, the elder Abo started making kokeshis in 1969 so he's been doing this for a long time, while the younger has only been doing it for a couple of years. Based on what I've seen I'd say he's already a master. The photos below should speak for themselves.

Abo kokeshis for sale. Absolutely stunning work.

Our visit with the Abo family was delightful. As we find with so many of kokeshi makers, they welcomed us right in and seemed delighted that we had taken an interest in their craft. Naoko spent a good deal of time talking with Mr. Abo, while Mrs. Abo knew just what to do with our two energetic girls -- put them to work making their own kokeshis. Unlike most do-it-yourself kokeshis where you replicate a "real" kokeshi, Mrs. Abo had metallic colored pens and stickers, just the kinds of things to keep the attention of young girls. They did a good job too! After they were done with the kokeshis we strolled leisurely through a neighboring apple orchard. Ah, Tsugaru! I truly love this part of Japan. I think we must have been with the Abos for a couple of hours, and we had a wonderful time. Naturally we purchased a selection of their beautiful works, and left with fond memories of this warm-hearted kokeshi-making family.

I've always wondered if kokeshis could successfully be done in modern garb. As a matter of fact, yes they can. 

We bought these two Abo "primitives" as I'll call them, especially in contrast to the large, refined one in the background. The one on the left is by Muchihide-san, while the one on the right is by Masafumi-san. This branch of the Tsugaru kokeshis really has the feel of folk art, which I like.

A closer view of some classical Tsugarus. Note that the smaller ones are 3,000 yen, or about $36 US. That may or may not seem expensive, but that price buys you a piece of perfectly hand crafted, hand-painted art. We bought the big one. The plastic wrapper is to protect from smudging the paint, and it has been recommend to us to keep the wrapper on the kokeshi until it deteriorates away.

Mr. Abo's kokeshi painting area. 

The same spot as above. Note the semi-completed kokeshis awaiting their faces. They really are all hand painted.

Mrs. Abo knew just how to handle the girls, keeping them busy for a while creating their own kokeshis.

The apple orchard right next to the Abo's workshop. This part of Japan is idyllic to me.

Some whimsical hula kokeshis. Mr. Abo occasionally takes orders for painting real faces on kokeshis, and he showed us one he had made for an American. By God, it looked just like the guy!

A masterful male Hina kokeshi 雛こけし, with a female in the background. These are a separate branch of the kokeshi world (Naoko's a fan) that could easily replace the traditional dolls one sees during the Hinamatsuri 雛祭り. Hina dolls are normally not made out of wood, so these are very unique.

Kokeshi-making tools. 

One of the Abo family's lathes.