Posted 9 years ago
melaniej
(708 items)
Tallest 6.5' (1st pic on left)
the other one just under 6.5" (1st pic on right )
I like these because you can see the wood grain in them.
Found this pair together at a local GW.
Who is the artist????????
Pic#3 shows signature on bottom-which hopefully I will figure out from this site
http://www.soulportals.com/kokeshi/Album%20Signatures/
so love these !!!
The wonderful Soulportal is on CW and pops in with knowledgeable and interesting comments from time to time. She will probably know these on sight, just because they are so individual.
Great finds Melanie!
Such beauties!
Lovely and unusual!
Hope someone will know the artist :-)
Karen I have been searching via internet but have yet to come up with an answer.
They do have a shape that is very unusual compared to other Kokeshi dolls.
Hello Melanie, they are called "nemariko" kokeshi because they appear to be sitting down. The shape is a little different from "ejiko" kokeshi (modelled on babies which were kept in baskets by their mothers who worked in the rice fields) as it's more pear or bell shaped rather than ball shaped.
These are indeed a lovely pair; traditional heads on a more freestyle design body - very unusual.
melaniej as japanfanbeb mentioned this is a Nemariko (sitting), Tsuchiyu Traditional Kokeshi Doll. These specific types of dolls are often given out as gifts during the Hinamatsuri (doll day or girl day) festival which takes place on March 3rd. Prices range from a nominal amount to a couple hundred dollars depending on the set and maker. Your set appears to be signed by Shinichi Tokunaga who was born in 1933 and studied under Nishiyama Kenichi (the site you mentioned has a signature sample you can compare it to). Regards -Soul
Soul
Thank you so much for all the info :)
Hope to find more little treasure's like these....
Should they be kept in a glass case and protected?
I have them sitting on my fireplace mantel....I have an electric log set in the fireplace so no real fires going on in there.
You're very welcome, a glass case isn't really necessary, some people like to keep them dust free so they put them in cases. I would just recommend keeping them away from light (since it fades the paint and cause them to darken quicker). Also keep them away from moisture and humidity or frigid air they don't seem to take too kindly to those temperatures. -soul