Kokeshi Doll Dressed In Bark - Circa 1970 -

Wear and tear, marks. It evokes the Shinto religion, which sees in each tree the possibility of a spiritual presence. The Ainu also had a shamanic approach to trees, “horokeou” being the god of the bark. There is also a poem from the region of Ichinoseki, a city in northern Japan: this poem evokes a dream in which a young girl appears bursting from the inside of a bark during a harsh winter. ---------- About kokeshis;  they appear in the 1820s-40s (end of the Edo era). Originally, they were made from scraps of wood by artisans and farmers and sold to people in the city. They were toys for little girls, or offered as tokens of love or friendship; or symbolized the desire to have a healthy child. The doll comes from a Shinto communion with nature (forest / wood / landscape). They are, modesty, discretion, femininity, feminine ideal. Their bun is an evocation of Buddha. A detailed explanatory note on the art of kokeshis will be given to the buyer.