kokeshi dolls

Kokeshi dolls are hand-made wooden, cylindrical Japanese dolls, usually limbless with hand-painted colourful patterns.  Their origin is not very clear but they have been traced back to the middle of the Edo Period (1603-1868) in northeastern Japan (the Tohoku region) where there are many onsen (hot spring) spas.  Kiji-shi (wood artisans) started to make the dolls to sell to visitors to the onsen.  Wood from cherry trees, dogwood (mizuki) and Japanese maple (kaede) is normally used.  The craft of kokeshi-making is now recognized as a traditional folk art (mingei) of Japan. 

(Note: Due to the effects of lighting, actual colour may be slightly different from the photographs.)

Made in Japan.