Kokeshi By Master Tsujita Ryozo (1918-?) Kokeby

Doll by Tsujita Ryozo - 1960s-70s - Signs of handling - unsigned. Born in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1918, Tsujita-san was drafted into the army during World War II and held captive in a Siberian labor camp in the Soviet Union until the late 1950s. Perhaps attempting to recapture his lost youth, Ryozo began making Sosaku dolls in 1961 in his hometown of Odawara, where he resided until his death. The recipient of several awards, he won the coveted Prime Minister's Prize in 1981. He is one of fifty local Sosaku artists featured at the Hakone Museum. Many of his pieces are treated differently, with the natural contrasting head and the natural grooved body. He illustrates the obi with a hemp inlay: in ancient times, the "God of Hemp" was worshipped at the Oasahiko Shrine in Tokushima. He also pays homage to spring with cherry blossoms, wheat, trees and stars to give character to his dolls. - About kokeshis: they were toys for little girls, or offered as a token of love or friendship; or symbolized the desire to have a healthy child. They would have a talismanic function, are modesty, gentleness. They would also have a Buddhist origin. Their hairstyles evoke the Buddha's bun. A note on the artist as well as the history and function of kokeshis will be attached. This is a vintage doll that may have minor imperfections.