Kokeshi doll – colourful Yajiro with rattle – medium (25cm)

Medium (25cm) hand-made traditional Kokeshi doll with colourful hand-painted design.

This vintage piece has been turned, scribed and painted by hand and has real character, along with some light wear that gives it a great patina. It has the artist’s signature on the base.

This slim-waste style of Kokeshi is from the village of Yajiro in Shiroishi (Miyagi Prefecture). The Yajiro style includes a head painted with multiple rings that look like a beret with wide lines on the body and designs on the collar and skirt painted freehand.

This doll has a rattle inside the head (gara iri) which might explain the minor wear and tear to the head on this piece as it has been used for this purpose.

Kokeshi are simple wooden toys that have been crafted for more than 150 years as children’s dolls, mementos and good luck charms. These simple but very decorative gems originate from Tohoku-chiho region of North-East Japan. Due to the many different sizes, shapes and designs available, they look great as a collection.

Period: post 1960s
Dimensions: H: 25cm | W: base 5cm | W: head 9cm
Condition: Good – no cracks, some scuffs. Natural age-related wear, some fading to the paintwork (see photos).
Weight: 0.36kg