Kokeshi dolls are simply perfect
My “kokeshi” was my greatest treasure as a child. A friend brought it to me from Japan when I was 11.
Rounded and smooth, the wooden kokeshi doll reminded me of a Russian matryoshka. Like its Russian cousin, my kokeshi lacked hands and feet and was comprised of a just a round head, with thick, painted hair topped with a funny bun, sitting firmly on an oblong torso. It had a scarlet kimono with orange flowers, also painted rather than made of fabric.
My girlfriends used to laugh at the doll’s eyes – two horizontal slits cut into the wood. Its mouth looked like a small checkmark, and there was no nose at all.
But I thought that my kokeshi, with all its simple lines, was simply perfect.
But I didn’t name it as I named my other dolls, and somehow I felt that I shouldn’t play with it either. I just sort of contemplated and admired it. My kokeshi seemed to be a creature from another world.
Only this month, when I attended the opening of an exhibit of traditional Japanese toys at the Shevchenko Museum, did I realize that that other world does in fact exist.
Kokeshi come in two types, traditional and modern.
Traditional kokeshi are characterized by long, thin bodies and oversized heads. The hair of traditional kokeshi is simply painted on, whereas in modern variations the hair is fashioned from a separate piece of wood.
Modern kokeshi are rounder, chubbier and look more like children. Their kimonos are carefully painted with delicate patterns. Some are even carved so that they resemble real silk, whereas traditional kokeshi kimonos have simpler, larger designs and cruder colors. Modern kokeshi tend to be more pleasing to the Ukrainian eye.
Traditional kokeshi first appeared some 200 years ago in the Tohoku region of Japan at the northern end of Honshu Island. Local woodworkers, who used lathes to make bowls, trays and other household articles, began producing wooden dolls to sell to tourists visiting the region’s hot‑spring resorts.
Traditional kokeshi are usually hand crafted. In contrast to most folk toys, a kokeshi master handles both the lathe work and the painting.
There are 11 recognizable types of traditional kokeshi, all named after the place or family where they originated. The shape, the method of attaching the head to the body and the ornamentation distinguish kokeshi from each other.
“Tsuchiyu” dolls, for instance, have cylindrical bodies that bulge slightly in the middle, while “Tsugaru” dolls have waspish waists. “Naruko” – translated as “crying doll” – produce crying sounds when you turn their heads. “Yamagata” are adorned with plum and cherry blossoms or chrysanthemums. Other types have still more distinctive patterns and features.
Making Kokeshi as souvenirs became popular throughout Japan after World War II, when the modern form evolved. Artisans began to manufacture new types like the “sosaku,” or “creative” kokeshi. No longer restricted to the Tohoku region, the newer versions lacked distinctive local colors. They were completely open to the masters’ interpretation in terms of shape and painting.
At the Kyiv exhibition, more than 60 such kokeshi, large and small, greet you with smiles at you as you enter the exhibition, organized by the Japanese Cultural Center. All of the dolls there have been produced by contemporary Japanese masters, some who follow traditional forms, others who delve into improvisational techniques.
The show also boasts other kinds of wooden toys produced by the Tohoku‑region artisans and based on the same techniques used to make the dolls.
Moveable lobsters, devils and dragons on wheels are among the most impressive examples. Perhaps the most unique example is a toy in the form of a round wrestling ring with two spinning tops shaped as sumo wrestlers. You spin them simultaneously and the first “wrestler” to push the other one out of the ring wins ‑ just like in sumo wrestling (but without all that flab and sweat).
“Hina ningyo” are the dolls traditionally displayed during the traditional girls’ festival of Hinamatsuri on March 3. They represent the emperor’s court, complete with musicians, and are displayed on special, tiered shelves.
Finally, the exhibit also includes “temari” – spheres made of colored cotton threads and embroidered with intricate ornaments. Temari symbolize a grandmother’s prayer for the health, happiness and longevity of her granddaughter. They are typically hung above the child’s crib.
The exhibit is well laid out and offers detailed explanations on each item’s origins and purpose. The best approach is to go and take your time and enjoy your expedition into the world of traditional Japanese wooden toys.
