Artisan | Woodworker: Horigome, Yukio

Biographical History:

As collectors, we felt it was most important to represent all Sosaku Kokeshi artists, whether or not each artist has a written account of his/her life. We show the diversity of cultural values and the creative work produced by a multitude of artists. As a valued customer, Kokeshi collector noted, “Kokeshi collecting is a personal journey in this everlasting realm of Japanese esthetics”.  DF

In researching old writings through articles and books that remain, it is evident that the Kokeshi Craftsperson not only created beautiful forms as toys, but also kept alive cultural values, customs, and fashion through the extensive representations of Kokeshi dolls. The beauty is in the doll and not the signatures, for most masters never signed their dolls. Later they named the dolls, but only when Westerners insisted on signatures because they did not know the artists, so the carvers began to sign their works, for the carvers wanted to promote sales to make a living, during the seasons that did not provide an environment to continue their otherwise daily work.

Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:

Horigome-san created only a few Kokeshi. Her dolls follow the tradition of Kokeshi making and form showing three beautifully lathe-turned forms with traditional heads and facial features, wearing a Kimono and Obi that are understated except for the local songs and poems. All of her pieces are made of white birch (Shirakaba). The examples published on this page are distinctly unique and celebrate everyday people and poetry associated with daily life. Most of her Kokeshi focuses on children within small communities. The largest of the Kokeshi illustrating her work is entitled, “Iwate Yuki-onna | Snow Woman”, and typically incorporates both a beautiful drawing of a young child traversing through the snow, and an accompanying song about the long, hard winter. The following song is typical of what is seen on her works:

“Snow and hail falling thickly,
falling steadily and piling up,
they keep falling nonstop,
a happy dog is running around 
the yard joyously,
the cat is sleeping by the stove.”