ARTISTS WORKSYokozuka Ikuo Sosaku

Kokeshi craftsman.

Yusa Fukuyu dento and Sosaku Craftsman.

HOLIDAY WISHESJune & July are months

of celebration. The many holidays & festivals of

Japan & the U.S

KAMEI MUSEUM BROCHURE

Dento Kokeshi described by strain

NOW TRENDINGKeep up to date with new Kokeshi Trends

BOOK REVIEWKokeshi From Tohoku With Love written by Manami Okazaki and

reviewed by Laetitia Hébert

.

FOLKLORETanabata, Star Festival

celebrated through out Japan from July 7th to

mid August

KOKESHI TRENDS

Kokeshi Trends Journalwww.KokeshiTrends.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/Kokeshi.Trends

Follow us on Twitter:@KokeshiVillage

Join us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/groups/Kokeshi.Village

Contact:info@kokeshitrends.com

Welcome to the June / July Edition of KT

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NHK World, Japanology Plus will be airing, on July 28th 2016, a show on Kokeshi Dolls featuring, host Peter

Barakan, reporter Matt Alt and their main guest Yosuke Jikuhara. A Kokeshi craftsmen from Tsuchiyu.

Check out the NHK World site link here

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NOW TRENDING

The 2016, Prime Minister, Award winning, craftsmen featured in the May edition of KT, Akihiro Sakurai, has

moved into the internet arena a bold and exciting move. Kokeshi fans know how difficult it is to purchase Dento

Kokeshi on the internet. Most are almost always second hand vintage dolls and occasionally a new doll may

come your way. The website is full of information on Naruko Kokeshi produced by generations of Sakurai-

san’s family. While the shop portion of the site is not yet available we are waiting with anticipation for the grand

opening. Kokeshi Fan’s, throughout the world, thank you Sakurai-san for taking this new step we hope to see

more craftsmen follow your lead. Visit the site at http://en.sakuraikokeshiten.com/

Twitter user @kokeshiemon creates beautiful Kokeshi prints. KT has been following their Tweets and the new

prints are just amazing, no word yet on whether they can be purchased outside of Japan.

Twitter user @JOYJOart creates beautiful characters dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The characters appear to be world travelers and are often depicted in

recognizable country scenes, for example in Paris by the Eiffel Tower. They are not Kokeshi but I would think

some Kokeshi inspiration can be seen in their design.

Images: NHK World

Image: Kokeshiemon

Image: JOYJOart

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INQUISITIVE COLLECTORS CORNER

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SIMPLY ELEGANTVery little is known about Yokozuka Ikuo (横塚郁芳）. It is believed that Ikuo-san began making Kokeshi around 1964 and won the Prime Minister’s Award in 1966. His date of birth is unknown. Ikuo-san did not produce Kokeshi for a long period of time, his death was listed in a Kokeshi book in 1973 so his works are very rare. I have a few pieces of his work seen here, I enjoy the natural wood tones and sheen applied to the end product, each piece appears to be heavy but when lifted is fairly light in weight. It is apparent that Ikuo-san enjoyed splashes of color on some of his pieces. As well as unusual shapes for his Kokeshi. The below Kokeshi looks like a bowling pin, with fishes losely illustrated on the body. The cover image has similar colors to the image on the left, there are hues of green and splashes of magenta that pop like a peacock spreading its feathers for

the viewer The shape is also unique and can almost be compared to a wine cup. In its own way it matches the design on the opposing page where the, attention is drawn to the elongated neckline embraced by a uniquely designed coat.

T he designs by Ikuo-san were bold and unique for his time. Kokeshi were primarily made in Traditional

forms. There were some craftsmen already paving the way in the Sosaku realm, at the time. Some of which were also employing simi-lar modern, and eclectic designs. However, old school craftsmen did not consider them to be Kokeshi makers, “Kijishi”, in the traditional way. This was primarily because they believed their “dento” (meaning traditional) Kokeshi were the truest form of the craft. As we know a synergy was formed eventually between the two craft styles, but even today there are still those that say real Kokeshi are dento and conform to the specifications of their ancestors.

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Yo k o z u k a I k u o

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Saturday, June 11, 2016

YUSA FUKUJOSunday, June 12, 2016

Dento to Sosaku - Transitional Artist

This craftsman is originally from a strong Narugo Kokeshi family of craftsmen. He was born in Miyagi Prefecture and his Teacher

was Takahashi Sakari. His dento Kokeshi, as seen on the opposite page, embodied motifs and designs typical of Narugo Kokeshi dolls. The hair tufts, in my opinion, seem to shed light into the heart of Yusa Fukuju as they are not in typical Narugo style and in my interpretation appear to be an indication of his desire to create something uniquely his own.

He began making Sosaku Kokeshi in the 1950’s and just ten (10) years later in 1960 was awarded the Prime Ministers award

at the tender age of thirty (30), for his Kokeshi doll titled Hoshu meaning treasure. I really enjoy both his dento and sosaku type of Kokeshi. Yusa-san’s chic sense of style, is evident with each design. The textured chattered hair technique is alluring to the eyes as is the color schemes in rich, vibrantly loud color combinations. The artist has been featured in numerous Kokeshi books.

1930 - 2001

Award Winning doll

titled Honshu

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Hiraga, TeruyukiSaturday, July 23, 2016

1972 ~ Sakunami, Dento, Craftsman.by Madelyn Molina

This craftsman studied Kokeshi making with his father, Hiraga, Kenichi. Hiraga-san’s Kokeshi were some of the very first

dento Kokeshi I added to the Soulportal collection. Their slender, curvaceous, bodies, covered in bright red rokuro lines and blue were just stunning. The shape of the head, squared on the top, and rounded towards the bottom on some of his dolls I found to be a uniquely charming feature. The squinting double lid eyes and tear drop like nose encircled by hair tufts and bangs seemed to invite a longer look. Flowers, Kusabana (草花) that resemble crabs (kani) are painted on the body detailed with beautiful blue -green stems and leaves and have been passed from generation to generation.

His Kokeshi style has recently changed. While still notably Sakunami in design they can also be quite, Kawaii, (cute). The

new designs include hats, and adorable faces drawn on the bodies of some of his ejiko Kokeshi. Although I enjoy them very much, I still love his traditional designs the most, they are in my opinion some of the most elegant Kokeshi in my collection.

Sakunami Kokeshi, as named, were produced in Sakunami prefecture, as well as in the Aoba Ward in Sen-dai City, Miyagi Prefectures. Kuraji Kobayashi, the found-er of the Yamagata Strain, is believed to have studied in Sakunami and influenced its design. However, it has re-cently come to light that it may be, that Sakunami is the older strain and Yamagata, came later.1

1 McDowell J. (2011) Essay in anthropology. Dissertation Kokeshi Continued & Created Traditions, 50

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BOOK REVIEW

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Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love by Manami OkazakiJune 9th 2016

Book Review by: Laetitia Hébert Edited by: Madelyn Molina

One of the many good things about living in Japan is the easy access to all things Kokeshi, including literature. Though I must admit that I have been somewhat lazy in that I still do not read Kanji. So I was very excited when I found the book, Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love, a 250-page book about Traditional Kokeshi dolls. The, English, ti-tle does not mislead the entire book is in English! Manami Okazaki, a female, Japanese, journalist who specializes in Japanese pop culture, has met with many Tohoku artisans and interviewed them in their studios. She has asked them , how they learned their art and how they feel about today’s industry, amongst other things which she shares with the reader in this book.

There are two releases of this book. The first, was pub-lished on October, 25th 2013, in a quality 208 page pa-perback format 1. All benefits, from its sale, were donated to charities helping victims recover from the March 11th 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastat-ed the Tohoku region. The second edition, was released on June 1st 2015 after the first edition was sold out2. It is being reviewed here, and is in a quality 250 page hard cover that includes additional material not initially re-leased in the first edition.

A Basic Introduction to Kokeshi

Manami Okazaki commences her introduction, explaining the origins of the Kokeshi craft. How the craft ties with the many hot spring villages found in Japan and includes the evolution of the Kokeshi craft industry. The book features an easy-to-use guide of the eleven types of Traditional Kokeshi (strains), namely Hijiori, Kijiyama, Nanbu, Togatta, Zao, Tsuchiyu, Tsugaru, Yajiro, Sakunami,Yamagata and Nakanosawa. Each section of the guide provides an ex-planation related to the roots of each strain, the charac-teristic and distinctive traits of each, accompanied by cute illustrations depicting famous designs.Manami Okazaki did her Kokeshi-related travels soon af-ter the Tohoku disaster. The emphasis was largely placed on each artisan’s hard work and was vividly demonstrat-ed through the many photographs used throughout the

1 ISBN-10: 9881250706, ISBN-13: 978-9881250704, Ma-nami Okazaki, 2013. Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love, Asia: Kingyo Press

2 ISBN-10: 9881250730, ISBN-13: 978-9881250735, Ma-nami Okazaki, 2015. Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love, Asia: Kingyo Press, 2 edition.

book. Some of the images were of older men working on a lathe, surrounded by numerous craftsmen tools and wooden cylinders. While others showed the beauty of each of their, hand crafted, finished products.

The recent Kokeshi boom predominantly favors cute Kokeshi dolls, but Okazaki’s book doesn’t – at least, that is not my impression when browsing through its pages. There are classic Tsuchiyu and Naruko beauties, austere Tsugaru, strange-looking Zao, and plenty of others, although I did notice the book lacked coverage of the Nanbu Kokeshi . Perhaps it was more difficult to get in touch with the few artisans still working on that strain.

Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love introduces the reader to a wide variety of Kokeshi dolls, with a congenial and rele-vant awareness of the crafts Japanese culture and its local traditions. A nice start!

Interviews with Craftsmen, 23 in all. Okazaki not only gives access, of the Kokeshi tradition, to a broader non-Japanese speaking audience but gives us very precious insights into the lives of twenty-three (23) craftsmen currently producing Kokeshi. These interviews together form the heart of the book. Amongst the featured craftspeople is, Rei Yamaya (Tsugaru strain), Shouichi Satou (Hijiori), Fumio Miharu (Kijiyama), Touru Izu (Naruko), Akira Su-zuki (Sakunami) and many others. It is so exciting to read what each maker has to say about their craft, especially if you own some pieces created by them.

I want to share with you two excerpts from the book, about the current industry and importance of the Kokeshi craft tradition:

[ “Manami Okazaki: Who are your customers?Teruyuki Hiraga (Sakunami strain): The people who stay at the ryokan nearby and Kokeshi mania people. They make appointments, or just turn up, or they place an order via phone or mail. Cute Kokeshi and smaller Kokeshi sell well, because they are easy to find a place for. Many young people from Tokyo have nowhere to put them. Most of my customers are women in their 30s and 40s, and I sell also to people who are designers. “ ]3

[ “Manami Okazaki: What is the most appealing thing about making Kokeshi ?Tadao Watanabe (Tsuchiyu strain): When I look at my Kokeshi, I can feel each gen-eration’s input somewhere in my work. I Love this look that echoes tradition, more than the

new styles. I think it is tradition – the generational back-ground and I hope this is transmitted in my work as well – that makes me feel incredibly satisfied. Since my forebears have passed away, people like me have continued their tra-ditions, and I think it is a homage to those who have passed this culture on. ]4

While reading Okazaki-san’s book, I was really impressed by the artisans’ humility. They often communicated that they were only satisfied with one of ten or a hundred faces, or that only the customer can decide if a doll is well-done or not. Reading the artisan’s thoughts about their own craft definitely made buying Kokeshi dolls even more appealing for me!

Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love is filled with beautiful pictures of Kokeshi makers studios, Kokeshi dolls and Kokeshi displays, pictures that without a doubt will give birth to many collectors!

3 Craftsmen interview 2, Teruyuki Hiraga pages 42-51

4 Craftsmen interview 17, Tadao Wantanabe pages 146-153

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Manami Okazaki, standingnext to a large Tsuchiyu Kokeshi.

Photo: Official Tumblr Site Kingyoyo23

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T A N A B A T A F E S T I V A L

The Evening of the Seventh

Wishing on a Star is a recognizable tradition throughout the world, no

matter the culture or ethnicity. In Japan it is not only a common practice but a reason to celebrate. Every year, start-ing in Tokyo, from July 7th through mid August wishing, or as the Japanese call them, Tanabata Festivals are held. It is believed that the Tanabata Festival was adopted from the Chinese who also cel-ebrate star wishing in their Qixi Festival.

All over Japan, Tanabata is celebrated by writing wishes on small pieces

of coloured paper, called Tanzaku, and hanging them on bamboo trees. On this day some people dress up in yukata 浴浴 (summer kimono).

Typical of any good Japanese cele-bration, folklore is deeply embed-

ded in its origins. The stars were long revered as deities and as such their tales are often common place in these celebrations in particular one titled the Star Crossed Lovers, Orihime and Hi-koboshi represented by the stars Vega (the princess weaver also known as the falling eagle in astrology) and Altair (the divine cowherd also known as the flying eagle in astrology) respectively.

The Princess Weaver, Orihime, was the daughter of a king in heaven,

and an exceptional weaver responsible for the royal cloth. She herself wore a robe of feathers that allowed her to fly

D F O L K L O R E d

Tanzaku hanging from bamboo, during Tanaba-ta festival, taken on July

5th of 2015 by Komiko in Tokyo, Japan.

Photo: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

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July 7th , 2016

KT

Kokeshi by Takahashi, Hashime

1918 - 2002featuring Tanabata

Festival decorations.Soulportal Collection

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out of heaven and go anywhere she liked. Near the palace, the divine cowherd, Hi-koboshi, tended his flock and as the prin-cess returned from one of her flights she caught a glimpse of him. Their eyes met and it was love at first sight they began their courtship and soon after that Hiko-boshi asked the King for Orihime’s hand in marriage. The King approved and they were wed. The two loved each other so very much they could hardly keep them-selves apart, this soon became a prob-lem as neither of them were effectively committing to their work stations. The weaving and herding were neglected and the King soon became angry and ordered that Orihime’s robe be taken away, and they were separated by the river of stars (Milky Way). Orihime plead-ed with her father for mercy, and as the

King loved his daughter very much, he promised that if she went back to her weaving and Hikoboshi returned to his herding he would allow them a single day to be together again. They both agreed, and it is on this day, Tanabata day, that Orihime and Hikoboshi are able to meet. The very first year, it is said that the river of stars was too great to cross and that loyal sparrows who loved Orihime came to help her and Hikoboshi; they formed a bridge whereby the two could cross the Milky Way and meet. Japanese pray for good weather on Tanabata day so that the two lovers can meet, it is said that if it rains the two cannot meet and have to wait another year before they can see each other again.

Sources1. Shinto and Its Festivals by Denny Sargent, Psychicsophia.com 2. Tanabata — Story of Two Star-crossed Lovers Japan-suite.com 3. Tanabata, Star Festival, Wikipedia3. Stars Vega and Altair, astrologyking.com

Kokeshi by Aoki Ryoka1931 ~featuring Tanabata Festival decorations.Soulportal Collection

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Happy HolidaysI hope that those of you celebrating U.S. Holidays in June, Father’s Day, enjoyed a wonderful day with your family.

In July, we celebrated 240 years of Independence, a milestone to cherish in today’s tumultuous realm of uncertainty. As many people around the world are aware of the acts of unkindness that have occurred across the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who in the past weeks have suffered a loss.

There are no Kokeshi for 4th of July that I have seen particularly since it is not a Japanese Holiday. There are plenty of Nesting Kokeshi, that would be an excellent gift for both mom’s and dad’s. Some were featured in the last (May) edition of Kokeshi Trends (KT). I’m sure, one of the many, Sosaku, Dento or Shingata Kokeshi made would be an ex-cellent gift for Father’s day. Maybe a Samurai, Sumo Wrestler or Ninja Kokeshi!

Marine Day is a fairly new holiday in Japan, enacted in 1996 and celebrated on July 18th. There are no big festivals since it has not yet really picked up in terms of celebration. The purpose of holiday was to set aside a day to be grateful for the benefits of the sea, such as transportation, the import and exports that bring wealth and prosperity to land. In addition to the food it offers fishermen to feed their families.

sources1. Marine Day, iroha-japan.net2. Holidays in Japan, timeanddate.com3. Marine Day Law, http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/qa/gosai/04.html

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Happy HolidaysKokeshi by Usaburo Factoryfeaturing U.S. decommissioned Naval ShipUSS Kitty Hawk (April 29, 1961)Soulportal Collection

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Kokeshi by Usaburo Factory

featuring U.S. Naval Destroyer

USS Lassen

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Permission was granted, to redistribute the following pages (16-20), published by the Kamei Museum Collection in Japan. I would like to thank the Museum and its curator Ms. Yumiko Aono for granting Kokeshi Trends this honor. The brochure is in English and it was translated by John and Naoko Treiber of the Kokeshi Adventures Blog. A special thanks to Naoko Treiber for aiding Kokeshi Trends and I in obtaining this permission we are grateful for your assistance. Additional thanks to Akihiro Sakurai who initially provided me a copy of the brochure.

If you live in Japan and would like to visit the Kamei Museum Collection they are located at 1-1-3 Itutubashi Aoba-ku Sendai City Miyagi Japan.

Their website http://www.kameimuseum.or.jp

SUMMERTIME

KOKESHI BY HIRAGA TERUYUKI