Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Kantsubaki | Camellia Girl” by Takamizawa, Kazuo
Dimensions: 8-1/2”h
Takamizawa-san is one of the Kokeshi artist referred to as a Kokeshi-kojin, a craftsperson who creates dolls from beginning to end, for which Kokeshi collectors are drawn to the aesthetic beauty and simplicity of form by these spirit-infused, lathe-turned dolls. As with this series of dolls he celebrates two elements that Takamizawa-san loved: the celebration of natural wood and the Winter Camellia. The figure retains the wonderful character and patterning of the Enju wood, all of which is kept as a natural decorative element. The hairstyle is a classic black hair treatment with a (Mage), as a separate piece and complements the long bangs and ‘Bob’ treatment framing the red nose face. The entire figure details are executed with a woodburning technique which is the free-hand art of decorating with burn marks to give a visual and textural quality to the surface. These earlier Kokeshi has no red stamp on the bottom because Takamizawa-san did not start to affix his personal stamp on the doll until he started selling them at the ryokans/spas.
Condition: Excellent with no imperfections or color loss. Museum quality piece and a perfect doll for the collector of Takamizawa’s work in the Sosaku Kokeshi folk art genre.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Takamizawa, Kazuo | 1927
Origin:
Takamizawa-san lives in Maebashi City, in Gunma Prefecture, considered the center of modern Creative Kokeshi doll making. He is a multiple award winner, including the Prime Minister’s Award.
As collectors we felt it was most important to represent all Sosaku Kokeshi artists, whether or not the artist has a written account of his or her life. Each show the diversity of this cultural specialization and the creative work produced by this artist.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
His early 1950-60 dolls were left undecorated except for minimal wood burning and incising of camellia blossoms on Enju wood. With most of his dolls, the hair decoration is carved and stained, adding a classic black hair treatment with a ‘bob’, (Mage), as a separate piece. His designs can be delicately rendered in black pigment or thickly painted white blossoms floating on the body, adding dimension to a piece. He began creating more colorful, brightly decorated dolls in the 1970’s.
Artist's Signature:
