Love Kokeshi?

If you love Kokeshi Dolls or Asian inspired gifts, you'll love the new range I have in store.  Japanese and Chinese dolls are very much the trend at the moment.  How can you not love them when they are this cute!

My find for today... More Kokeshi

Hot on the heels of my latest Kokeshi Artwork, I have added more Kokeshi inspired pieces to my store. How gorgeous are these! Behold the new rattles and bibs I now have in store. The rattles are so adorable that I want to keep some aside for myself. Which is ridiculous really as I am a tad too grown up for these! Maybe I can stick them around the office as a decoration.

My sister insists I buy more as she shares a similar fetish for asian culture and artifacts. Her daughter shares that passion and was the inspiration for the Kokeshi artwork in the first place. She and her friends are besotted by them.

I love cherry blossoms and pagodas, both Japanese and Chinese inspired so these are perfect for the fashion forward tots down at the local catwalk (sorry "Park") this season.

Too cute!

Where Do Kokeshi Dolls Originate?

Since I am selling Kokeshi Doll prints, I thought I would delve into the history of Kokeshi.

While not the kind of dolls that little girls usually play with, kokeshi dolls are instantly recognizable as Japanese. Beautifully painted with traditional Japanese motifs or simply varnished these wooden dolls originated in the Tohoku Region of Northern Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868).

It is believed that these dolls were originally created by woodwork artisans known as kijiya who made them to sell to the tourists who flocked to the onsen (hot springs) in the area each winter. Now they can be found throughout Japan and, today, kokeshi dolls are considered to be one of the traditional folk arts of Japan.

These whimsical wooden dolls with sweet hand-painted expressions will capture your heart. Traditional kokeshi dolls have no arms or legs and in their simplest from they consist of a long cylindrical body upon which rests a round head. Both the body and the head are hand painted with the body often painted in bright floral patters or with traditional scenic images of Japan and the face consisting of a few that lines somehow give each doll its own character. Some are solemn and others playful and joyous in appearance.

Since World Ward II the look of the kokeshi doll has been expanded to include rotund kokeshi and more elaborate versions of the dolls appear to be dressed in a kimono or other traditional attire and have hair in wooden relief. The shape, size and motifs that adorn modern kokeshi dolls are only limited by the creativity of the maker. All are beautiful in their own way.

My Newest Artwork. Behold the "Kokeshi"!

This is my newest artwork and I'd love to know what everyone thinks (Leave a comment!). I know my niece EM will love it as she is obsessed by Japanese Kokeshi Dolls. And her mum has been begging me for ages to design a Kokeshi artwork. So finally here it is!

I think it will be a huge hit but not only with children. I know so many adults who love kokeshi (or momoji dolls as they're sometimes known), just as much.
Sometimes customers come into my store and I suspect they are buying artwork for themselves. And why not? I hope everyone loves my art as much as I do. We should all indulge our "inner child" as much as we can, when we can. Of course there is a limit and I have to keep on reminding my husband of this!

Not that I think he will be wanting a Kokeshi doll anytime soon. You know what I mean! (I thought I'd better clarify that).