Art How to make kokeshi dolls

What are kokeshi?

Kokeshi (こけし, 小芥子) are traditional Japanese wooden dolls made as folk crafts. Artisans turn them on a lathe from fruit-tree wood and shape them into simplified figures that usually represent girls. Most kokeshi have a cylindrical body without visible arms or legs and a rounded head set directly on top. The surface is painted in simple designs. Artists often use red and black, adding rings, floral patterns or other basic motifs. The faces are highly stylised.

Each artisan develops a distinct style. The shape of the figure and the painted decoration vary from maker to maker. Artists usually sign their work on the base. Ten regional traditions are generally recognised. Most originated in hot-spring towns in northeastern Japan. These styles include Hijiori from Hijiori (肘折) in Yamagata Prefecture; Kijiyama from Yuzawa in Akita Prefecture; Tsugaru from the Nuruyu (温湯) and Ōwani (大鰐) areas of Aomori Prefecture; Nambu from Hanamaki and Morioka in Iwate Prefecture; Tsuchiyu from Tsuchiyu (土湯) in Fukushima Prefecture; Tōgatta from Tōgatta (遠刈田) in Miyagi Prefecture; Naruko from Naruko (鳴子) in Miyagi Prefecture; Yajirō from the Yajirō district (弥治郎) of Shiroishi in Miyagi Prefecture; Sakunami from Sakunami (作並) near Sendai and Yamagata; and Zaō from Zaō (蔵王) in Yamagata Prefecture.