The first real gift I ever gave to a woman was a Kokeshi creative doll that I bought from an old Japanese lady in
Their simple expressions conveyed more to me than intricately drawn faces. I loved their simplicity and though I see beauty in both, I much prefer Creative Kokeshi over Traditional Kokeshi.
Look how a simple raising of a sleeve can convey so much. Or the thinnest slit of the eye or simple variation of the tiny nose and mouth can add so much character.
How can a piece of wood feel cold? But doesn’t she appear comfortable beneath her warm clothing?
Hear no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil. They are certainly more convincing than the three monkeys.
Creative Kokeshi were developed only after World World II. They offered artists freedom of design, form, and color. Though beautiful, I feel Traditional Kokeshi a bit restrictive and too predictable. While creative Kokeshi are more fluid in their expression and not too wooden. One can often be surprised with the creativity of the artists and you involved yourself in what the artist is trying to convey. I have yet to come across a creative kokeshi I dislike. Below are more fine examples.
3 comments:
hi, those are some beautiful kokeshi dolls. I'd love to buy one for my friend. Would you know any online dealers where I could buy some really nice ones? Please let me know thanks.
Hi, I just got back from a trip to Japan and fell in love with the kokeshi dolls. I bought about five of them, but didn't see any as beautiful as the ones you show here. Where do you purchase yours. I got mine in Miyajima, a tourist trap, I know, but did not find them elsewhere except in the airport on my way out of the country. Also, we wanted to buy a nice bento box, but we didn't know where to find them at reasonable prices. We found some in Miyajima, but I thought we'd be able to find less expensive ones, but never did. Mind you we only had one week to explore. Do you know where we can go next time to find them? Thanks,
Those kokeshi dolls are exceptionally beautiful because they are exhibited items. My own personal collection is nowhere as nice unfortunately. Still, you can find much better quality dolls than those you will usually find in shops catering to tourists. You will need to ask the local as their locations would be depending on where you are in Japan. Google kokeshi dolls and you can find some sites selling some quite beautiful dolls but the good quality ones are not cheap. Have fun hunting. That is part of the fun anyway. :) BTW I'm now learning a new language and blogging about it here http://lostinchinese.blogspot.com/
Post a Comment