Kokeshi - Japanese Wooden Dolls

Kokeshi こけし are handmade, without limbs. It is just a head and a simple trunk. They originate from the north of Japan. There are 11 types, and the appearance can say from which part of Japan each doll comes. Kokeshi are usually painted in red, black and yellow.

I read that the word kokeshi is from the Sendai dialect, and I actually received a beautiful one bought in Morioka, Iwate-ken. I received it from a lady who is a survivor of the tsunami in March 2011. Eiko-san, the doll received from you stands always on my desk, just next to the laptop. Thank you for a beautiful present!

I noticed these dolls in a hotel in Hokkaido. They appear as a couple because they are placed near the entrance to the onsen, the hot spring.

I noticed this kokeshi in the cemetery of Sumadera 須磨寺, Suma Temple, Kobe.