Kokeshi
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Kokeshi_20101105.jpg/220px-Kokeshi_20101105.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Kokeshi-finishing.jpg/220px-Kokeshi-finishing.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Kokeshijapan.jpg/220px-Kokeshijapan.jpg)
Kokeshi (こけし,
History and etymology[edit]
The origin and naming of kokeshi is unclear,[1] with historical ateji spellings including
A popular theory[2] suggests that kokeshi may be fetish substitutes for unwanted babies killed after birth and the characters can be understood as
Kokeshi were first produced by kijishi (
One of the earliest doll-focused associations in Japan was the Sendai Kokeshi Association (Sendai Kokeshi-kai) established in 1923 by Mihara Ryōkichi (
Types[edit]
"Traditional" kokeshi (
"Creative" kokeshi (
The woods used for kokeshi vary, with cherry used for its darkness and dogwood for its softer qualities. Itaya-kaede, a Japanese maple, is also used in the creation of both traditional and creative dolls. The wood is left outdoors to season for one to five years before it can be used.
Traditional types[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Kokeshi_exhibit_at_Seattle_Nihon_Go_Gakko_02.jpg/220px-Kokeshi_exhibit_at_Seattle_Nihon_Go_Gakko_02.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Oltoztetos_kokesi_55_pe.jpg/220px-Oltoztetos_kokesi_55_pe.jpg)
Traditional types often correspond to a single or multiple onsen located within the Tōhoku region.[7]
- Tsuchiyu (
土 湯 系 ): Tsuchiyu Onsen (Fukushima), Iizaka Onsen (Fukushima), Dake Onsen (Nihonmatsu) - Yajirō (
弥 治郎 系 ): Yajirō (Shiroishi) - Tōgatta (
遠刈田 系 ): Tōgatta Onsen (Zaō) - Naruko (
鳴子 系 ): Naruko Onsen (Ōsaki) - Sakunami (
作並 系 ) or Yamagata-Sakunami (山形 作並 系 ): Sendai (incl. Sakunami Onsen), Yamagata, Yonezawa, Sagae, Tendō - Zaō Takayu (
蔵王 高 湯 系 ): Zaō Onsen (Yamagata) - Hijiori (
肘 折 系 ): Hijiori Onsen (Ōkura) - Kijiyama (
木地 山系 ): Kijiyama (Yuzawa) - Nambu (
南部 系 ): Morioka, Hanamaki Onsen (Hanamaki) - Tsugaru (
津軽 系 ) or Nuruyu (温湯 系 ): Nuruyu Onsen (Kuroishi), Ōwani Onsen (Ōwani)
Exhibitions and competitions[edit]
Traditionally, the National Kokeshi Exhibition and Competition in Shiroishi-Zao is held every year, and in 2022 it took place for the 64th time. In 2015, the event organized for the 57th time was attended for the first time by a master kokeshi maker of non-Japanese nationality, in the person of the Hungarian Réka Tóth-Vásárhelyi. In 2016, she won the main prize in the creative category with his work Dress-up Kokeshi - With a Wardrobe.
In 2022, the Creative Kokeshi Exhibition in Shibukawa was held for the 28th time. Creative Kokeshi Competition is held regularly in Tokyo, Japan.
In popular culture[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Image-Japaneas_New_year_Stamp_of_1956.jpg/170px-Image-Japaneas_New_year_Stamp_of_1956.jpg)
Kokeshi dolls have been used as an inspiration for the style of Nintendo's digital avatars, called "Miis", which are created and customized by players. Their appearance has become the symbol of the platform's overall aesthetic.[8]
Inspiration for the Momiji Doll originates from the kokeshi doll.
Japanese professional wrestler Tomoaki Honma is nicknamed "Everybody's Kokeshi" (みんなのこけし, minna no kokeshi) after his finishing move "Kokeshi", a diving headbutt where Honma seems to fall lifelessly on his opponent.
Miss Grand Japan 2020, Ruri Saji, wore a kokeshi doll-inspired costume[9] which also transforms into an anime robot, showcasing Japan's technological advancement in the robotics field. It has won the Best in National Costume title at the Miss Grand International 2020 held in Bangkok, Thailand.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Newman, Michelle. "Kokeshi Dolls" Archived 2009-01-31 at the Wayback Machine. Travelworld International Magazine, March/April 2007. Accessed 7 May 2009.
- ^ Booth, Alan. Looking for the Lost: Journeys Through a Vanishing Japan. New York: Kodansha International, 1996, p.129. ISBN 1-56836-148-3.
- ^ Shiono, Hiroshi; Atoyo Maya; Noriko Tabata; Masataka Fujiwara; Jun-ich Azumi; Mashahiko Morita (1986). "Medicolegal aspects of infanticide in Hokkaido District, Japan". American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. 7 (2): 104–106. doi:10.1097/00000433-198607020-00004. PMID 3740005. S2CID 483615.
- ^ a b こけしに
関 するQ&A / Q & A on Kokeshi . Accessed 11 Aug 2021. - ^ Togatta Hot Spring Archived 2009-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, Japan-i. Accessed 7 May 2009.
- ^ Bakkalian, Nyri (2023-02-15). "Mihara Ryōkichi: The Kokeshi Dolls Savior". Unseen Japan. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
- ^ McDowell, Jennifer E. "Kokeshi: Continued and Created Traditions (Motivations for a Japanese Folk Art Doll)," pp. 263–269 [PDF 279–285 of 317]; retrieved 2012-12-4.
- ^ Jones, Steven E.; Thiruvathukal, George K. (2012). Codename Revolution: The Nintendo Wii Platform. MIT Press. pp. 15, 36–37. ISBN 978-0-262-01680-3.
- ^ "LOOK: Japan's winning national costume in Miss Grand Int'l is Pinoy-made". ABS-CBN News. 2021-03-28. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
External links[edit]
The dictionary definition of kokeshi at Wiktionary
Media related to Kokeshi at Wikimedia Commons
- "32nd Michinoku Kokeshi Festival" at Destination Tohoku
- "Kokeshi" at Japanya.co.uk
- The history and meaning of the kokeshi dolls