Masao Watanabe Vintage Kokeshi – Shojo (35.5cm/13.9 inches)

This kokeshi doll was made by Masao Watanabe (1917-2007). He was a prominent creative kokeshi artist, and one of the leading figures in the movement that drifted away from traditional kokeshi dolls.

Her title is 少女 (Shojo) which means “Little Girl”. Her most striking feature is her beautiful hair which is carved to perfection and has an adorable white hair band with pink dots. The horizontal lines on the lower half of her kimono were created using a lathe, and smooth sections were later carved into it and decorated with various flowers.

Watanabe Masao was born in Fukushima prefecture and originally trained as a traditional kokeshi master before switching to creative kokeshi. He won the prestigious prime minster award and his dolls were also given to the Beatles in 1965. He’s one of the few artisans whose work is permanently exhibited at the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany.

In great condition.

Height: 35.5cm / 13.9 inches
Body Width: 9.5cm / 3.7 inches
Hair Width: 11cm / 4.3 inches
Weight: 1.57kg / 3.4lbs