SENDAI — Handmade from wood, they have simple bodies and enlarged heads with a few painted lines to depict faces. Kokeshi dolls painted in red, blue and white and made by Takatoshi Hayashi in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, smile gently at visitors.
Manufacturing kokeshi is a traditional craft in the Tohoku region, which includes Miyagi Prefecture. A newcomer in the field, Hayashi, 41, opened Tree Tree Ishinomaki, an atelier for manufacturing and selling kokeshi, last month in front of JR Ishinomaki Station. One of his works won an award at the national kokeshi competition held on May 3, although it was his first time to enter.
Hayashi is a third-generation operator of a kimono store. In spring of 2012, when he was considering starting a new business, he happened to see a kokeshi that had a mushroomlike head at a craft exhibition. He was impressed by its striking shape and decided to make interesting kokeshi of his own.
He visited several ateliers in the prefecture, each manufacturing a different type of kokeshi, to learn how to make them from craftspeople. Last summer, he started manufacturing kokeshi as a profession.
The refreshing three colors used for his kokeshi are meant to represent the port city. Their heads bear fish motifs. They are about six to 15 centimeters tall, and sell for ¥1,080 to ¥1,680. As he receives many orders, it takes three weeks from receiving an order until delivering a finished doll.
The city was hit severely by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Hayashi dreams of having his Ishinomaki kokeshi included in the list of traditional types of kokeshi, each of which has a long history. “I’ll put my heart and soul into the work. I also want to let people in other places know Ishinomaki is regaining its vitality,” Hayashi said. Call (090) 6629-5151 for details.
Kokeshi portraits of world leaders
When the third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Sendai in March, kokeshi dolls served to welcome representatives of the participating countries.
