Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Kokeshi Dolls

Yesterday, I talked about the dolls I had growing up. Dolls are a part of all cultures. Folk artists create dolls in countries all over the world. In Japan, folk artists make Kokeshi dolls.


Traditional Kokeshi dolls shown above, according to Wikipedia 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."

Modern style Kokeshi dolls don't adhere to the structure of the traditional dolls.

Above is a cute modern Kokeshi doll, isn't she adorable?

6 comments:

Deb said...

These are gorgeous Cindy!

I have a small collection of Kokeshi dolls (very small - as in three.lol!)

The traditional Kokeshi dolls had 9 sub catagories - depending on region & the traditional styles are still made.

However mine were all gifts from my Mum's Japanese students & are the modern ones known as "Creative Kokeshi". They dont look like the modern one you have shown though.

If you ever see them in reality you certainly appreciate the difference in quality between the dolls (even the modern one have a huge price range)& the regions they come from.

Diana Ferreira said...

Hi Ciny
Thak your for showing these lovely dolls. They (both the traditional and modern) really lend themselves to be recreated in glass. I would love to see what you make with these!

Diana

angelinabeadalina said...

Well, I'm envious of Deb's trio collection, because these are so adorable. I'm also in agreement with Diana-- first thing I thought when I saw them, those would be great in glass :) Can't wait to see what you take from this inspiration, Cindy!

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Hi Deb,

Cool, you have a collection of Kokeshi! Right, there is such a wide range of quality and in the Creative Kokeshi such wide variation in craftsmanship. I like the simplicity of the traditional style yet the cute factor in the creatives are a real draw too!

Thanks for sharing, Deb!
Cindy

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Hi Diana,

Yes, I do think they are speaking to me - "make me in glass" they say. I'll be working on it!

Cindy

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Hi Angie,

I've been trying to come up with a doll bead that I really like for some time now. The Goth Kidz and the Skully Kidz are variations on a glass beaded doll bead I tried awhile ago. I circle around with ideas like this, make a bead and don't quite like it but need to move on and try something else and let the ideas percolate. It's time to come back to the doll bead again!

Cindy