Sosaku Kokeshi By Shido Shouzan

Master Shido Shouzan was born in Oita Prefecture in 1932. He was one of the first kokeshi artists to use a variety of woods in his creations, including mulberry and persimmon. He later introduced Keyaki (Zelkova) and Enju (pagoda tree) for doll making. Living in the city of Yonezawa, he was influenced by snowy winters, and this motif is very prominent in his works. This doll is a young girl wearing a traditional rice straw coat called a "Mino". As with most of his creations, he names his works after completing them, which helps define the piece. This Kokeshi depicts a young girl wearing a Minomushi, (Snow Coat), which is a favorite theme because of what he observed growing up. The Mino is a garment worn to protect rural mountain people from rain and snow and is fashioned after an earlier version that was made of straw. This doll has a wooden peg at the back, keeping the large Mino securely attached to the body. Shouzan-san appreciated the textural qualities of "Chattering" and demonstrates the process beautifully with the winter blanket used in this creation. Beyond this texturing, he used minimal painted ornamentation as seen on this doll's undergarments. He uses contrasting colors to differentiate the antlers on the plain band of waxed wood. A simple face with a bangs and elongated eyes peek out from under the Mino. The doll has Shouzan's Hanko at the bottom of this doll. This doll was published in the 2022 publication of Sosaku Kokeshi: Celebrating the Key Artists of the Creative Movement. They can be sold apart : 180 and 200 euros each  one crack on the cap