Okamoto Yuji (Usaburo) Creative Kokeshi Doll – Wa (36cm/12.2 inches)

This beautiful doll was made and signed by Okamoto Yuji (1948~) who is the eldest son of the Usaburo kokeshi founder – Okamoto Usaburo.
Her title is 和 (Wa) which means “Peace” and also “Harmony”. It also describes Japanese aesthetic.
She has a very peaceful and calm feeling to her, thanks to her kind eyes, adorable smile and lovely, mother-like pose. Her hairstyle was elegantly carved giving her an even more realistic look.

Okamoto Usaburo, the founder of the famous Usaburo kokeshi was born in Gunma prefecture in 1917 and started making kokeshi dolls in 1950. He is considered to be a pioneer in the kokeshi world thanks to his original machines that he developed for kokeshi making and the way he revolutionized the carving and burning process by introducing new techniques.
He also explored using types of trees that haven’t been traditionally used before for kokeshi making, such as chestnut and keyaki (thanks to their wonderful ugrain). After a considerable effort he succeed in creating marvelous dolls out of them as well as flower vases. He won many prizes for his works, including the prize of the Minister of International Trade and Industry.

Height: 36cm / 12.2 inches
Width: 11cm / 4.3 inches
Weight: 1.93kg / 4.2 lbs