Ben's Kokeshi
Kokeshi (こけし, kokeshi?) are simply wooden (木, ki, ko?) or small (小, ko?) dolls (芥子, keshi) originally from northern Japan. They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist. (Wiki:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokeshi)
Ben
My otomusuko (younger son) Ben who turns 13 in December, made this beautiful timber kokeshi doll for me during his Japanese Studies class… it remains unfinished in the raw timber state, and i really quite like it that way. I found this old tin and it fit her perfectly for a litte photo shoot this morning.
Ben’s Kokeshi with Sarah my choujo (eldest daughter) who is 17 now, in the insert wearing a beautiful kimono she was dressed up in by a shopkeeper in Japan, she has just come home from a 2 week stay in Japan with a host family
Kokeshi were first produced by Kiji-shi (wood artisans) at the Shinchi Shuraku, near the Togatta Onsen, Zaō, Miyagi Prefecture5 from where kokeshi making techniques spread to other spa areas in the Tōhoku Region. It is said that these dolls were originally made during the middle of the Edo period (1600–1868) to be sold to people who were visiting the hot springs in the north-east of the country.
A few of my own kokeshi designs below:
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.
Karin Taylor
19 days ago
o and a big thank you to Amy who just purchased my 2010 Asia Calendar this morning:
mobii 19 days ago
それは素晴らしい物語ですカリン!
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
The Chinese quince which is the story that it is splendid! ?
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
あなたは mobii に（今まで）再びマジックのマッシュルームを食べていましたか？
Mui-Ling Teh 19 days ago
It’s so cool Ben gets to do stuff like that when he’s 13; I didn’t start any kind of woodwork until high school. We did a bit of claywork in grade 7, and painted ceramic in grade 8; though that’s not anything really special… I can imagine Ben picking up your artisitic traits, though of course it’s up to him what he will be doing with his life.
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
...it was as much a surprise to him, it wasn’t in the curriculum at all, but their teacher was away, so the woodwork teacher incorporated a bit of fun into their japanese lessons… you know i couldn’t believe my eyes when he brought this home and i saw how similar the shape was to my pink kokeshi, i really love this dear timber doll…thanx so much Mui-Ling :) x
banrai 19 days ago
wonderful post Ben’s kokeshi is most fine, my daughter has a few in a box somewhere… now I
understand your fascination with Nihon and your superb designs are very Japanese would sell
well here…. just curious have you ever lived here?
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
Thx banrai!! I have never lived in japan, but the culture has endeared itself to me, I have not travelled outside Australia but am interested in traditions and traditional costume… I love to learn about all aspects of culture and find it fascinating… I love the most ancient ones and ancient history.. Love to learn about the Tahitians and the islands and how they came to settle in different regions and very interested in indigenous people of all countries
Jewd 19 days ago
A nice insight to another cultures tradition…I love learning about other cultures too, particularly middle eastern and Indian….and lovely to hear about your children…xo
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
thank you so much for reading my journal and taking time to comment Jewd… isn’t it all just so fascinating, we have a such a very young country comparatively, so it’s all the more wonderful to immerse oneself in learning about these other more ancient ways of life
Leena Hedman 19 days ago
What a wonderful doll, and lovely image!
I have a daughter named Sara, she’ll be 17 next month. She, too, has been into Japanese culture for a long time. She’s studied the lanquage and has a collection of genuine items from Japan, such as a kimono with obi and shoes and a fan to match (- our neighbor is from Japan and brings Sara beautiful items from her trips back to her homeland. ) We have a true Japanese garden close by, the Morikami museum and gardens. Sara spent one of her birthdays there! =)
Congrats on your sale! x
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
wow how about that, there are so many Sarah’s in my circle right now it can get very confusing sometimes!! It’s so wonderful that your Sara has embraced the Japanese culture, i wish that my Sarah had more money so she could have bought home more great stuff…but i believe she’ll return there in the not too distant future, and I’ll be putting my order in for a kimono and a kokeshi! :) x
banrai 19 days ago
most interesting your eye for detail is great! astounding work, Karin
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
thx again banrai, been good talking with you :)
Rosie Harriott 19 days ago
That is so beautiful…. tell Ben he’s done a fantastic job. It’s really wonderful.
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
thanx Rosie, I sure will!!! :) x
bev langby 19 days ago
beautiful Karin u must be proud of him , my daughter gave me one of these and i love it …
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
I sure am proud of Ben and Sarah :) and thankyou very much Bev :) x
Pip Gerard 19 days ago
I didn’t know you speak Japanese?? Are you fluent? that’s impressive. I was learning it intensely for a year at age 19 for a marketing course and found it really hard. I really loved actually writing the characters… that was my favourite part. But getting my head around a language that is so different in every way was a massive challenge I found.
And I love that Ben made that for you… so sweet.
Bet Sarah had a brilliant trip? Was it a trip for language class?
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
oh no i can’t speak Japanese Pip…lol… sorry to give you the wrong impression…i’m using a translator, online… my children can speak some Japanese, as they are both learning it… it is very difficult for them also…so much to learn.. so many syllables, etc.. yes, the trip was for Japanese Y11’s/she had an excellent very memorable time away and misses her host family and Japan like crazy, and Ben gave me such a surprise (a lovely one) when he brought home the doll, as i had no idea he was making one :) xxx
Pip Gerard 19 days ago
wow… now those must be some very nifty translators. I’ll be checking out those online translator’s at some time.. you gotta just love the internet :)
It’s so wonderful that Sarah has gone to Japan on her own… such an experience will really shape her independence and life won’t it. Such a wonderful opportunity. I really hope Kane has the opportunity to travel like that.. i think it helps so much to view the world in a broader perspective.
mobii 19 days ago
Karin, I either said that “That was a wonderful story Karin.”, or “The cabbages look fresh today”. I am not 100% sure, I am still learning. :D
Karin Taylor
replied 19 days ago
ROFL :!
Alexandra Felgate 18 days ago
Ben’s Kokeshi is absolutely beautiful!!! (and I love the way you have displayed it!)
There is something very “kokeshi” in the air at the moment, I am busy working on a series of kokeshi & maneki neko artworks at the moment (to be followed by a series of babushka/matryoshka dolls)