Sadao Kishi Sosaku Kokeshi

kishi-sadao  was born inMaebashi, Gunma Prefecture in 1932 and produced an array of creative Kokeshidolls until his passing in 1998. In 1950 he started creating Sosaku Kokeshi.During his career, he received numerous awards, winning the Prime Minister’sAward and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (METI). He iscredited with being one of the major influences of the ‘Sosaku KokeshiMovement’, gaining recognition for the dolls as a popular and valid art form. In 1969 his Kokeshientitled: “Spirit of Wheat” was purchased by the Crown Prince and CrownPrincess. In 1970, he dedicated his work to the Enshrining Festival of theMeiji Shrine, representing his Kokeshi focused on the Korobe Gorge golden brownWheat which was not only a central theme and the main agricultural enterprisein his native prefecture.  descriptive qualities,standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:Many of his dolls illustrate both a burning technique as well aspainting images which he initiated called, “Shou sugiban”, which createsthree-dimensional qualities enhancing the garments on his Kokeshi and‘Michiyuki’ (traveling coat) or Kimono. Many of his dolls have athree-dimensional ring of different wood to bring attention to his uniqueapproach to the Obi. Other Obi were pronounced and showed flowers such as thechrysanthemum flower. Additionally, he incorporated simple flowers and subjectsrelated to mothers and children as both form-giving and decoration on thebodies. The faces on his dolls are extremely simple incorporating angled eyesand a suggestion of a nose and lips. Many of his dolls featured a ‘Mage’, inwhich the hair is stacked, in a complex manner, with some incorporateddecorative ‘Kanzashi’ (hairpins). He used a variety of woods includingCastoaralia wood, and finished with a type of candle called, “Rōsoku no rō” All of his creations arebeautifully proportioned and show a direct connection to everyday life. SeveralKokeshi won the Prime Minister's Prize in 1983 and was featured in the CreativeKOKESHI Artistic Handicraft Directory. 
Seishin Komugi noShown is a lathe-turned doll with an undulating form definingthe various part of the body. The head shows its attachment to the body by awonderfully formed neckline while the garment shows negative space between eachsection. The Kimono motif is beautifully executed by a burning techniquecalled, ‘Shou sugi ban’, that creates the three-dimensionalqualities of the garment, which in this case is the natural wheat prior toharvest. The waist is specifically identified by a three-dimensional ring ofdifferent wood to bring attention to this detail. The face is extremely simpleincorporating angled eyes and a suggestion of a nose and lips. The top of thehead shows a ‘Mage’, in which the hair isstacked in a complex manner with a suggestion of hair falling on both sides ofthe face. The doll has his red impressed stamp on the bottom.