Miniature Kokeshi Doll - Kokeshima - 50s-60s. #5

Lovers under a lantern - miniature kokeshi doll, called kokeshima or "ichibu" (super miniature). This is the craft of "omyage" (souvenirs) which exploded between 1945 and the end of the 1960s. Quickly made, their decoration is often linked to a thermal spring, a vacation spot. Excerpts from poems sometimes decorate them. Generally anonymous; they were made by known craftsmen but under an assumed trade name. After the war, they made it possible to generate income with affordable materials, and to appeal to a wide audience at attractive prices. There were large workshops, among others, in Tohoku, Okinawa. From the end of the 60s, plastic gradually took the place of these figurines. --- (see at the end of the slideshow the period documentation extracted from "Kokeshi dolls" tradition and creativity, by Noboru Yamanaka. (1964 Tatsuo publisher Osaka). good condition - spent more than 50 years protected from sun.