Koshi By Yamanaka Sanpei Circa 1960-70 -hama1024-13

Born in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, Yamanaka began his artistic career as a photographer, after majoring in chemistry. Rather than pursue a career in traditional dollmaking, he joined the Sosaku Kokeshi movement (contemporary kokeshi with free forms). He won more than twenty awards between 1962 and 1989. Influenced by Buddhism, the artist explores the interplay of color and wood grain, and clean, distinct shapes. The colors are always soft and should evoke those of the rainbow, which is "the highest possible state before reaching Nirvana." The faces are expressive with an economy of means - the headdresses sometimes evoke the "Buddha's bun." Yamanaka Sanpei worked on each piece alone, signing with a broad brushstroke.