Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: Banshee | Late Autumn by Sekiguchi, Toa
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Dimensions: 8-1/2"h
This Kokeshi represents an image is of a young girl on “Chuushuu no Meigetsu”, also called Jugoya, the night of the full August moon, in early autumn. The images on her kimono speak of the fall and depict pampas-like grass, (Sesuki). Ancient Japanese had a custom of worshiping the full moon, for it was believed that a silver moon. Her face looks upwards, admiring the harvest moon in the sky, with her black hair flowing down her back. The Kimono, in its beautiful painting, shows the orange and silver closure, giving further detail to the garment. Signed in red script on the bottom.
Condition: Excellent meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship showing a wonderful-developed patina commensurate with age, with no cracks, breakage, or repairs, although there is a minor flaw in the form of a dent on the side of the doll. The piece meets all the standards of Sosaku Kokeshi collectibles.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Sekiguchi, Toa | 1942-
Origin:
Son of Sansaku, Toa was born in Shibukawa City, Gunma-ken, and still lives and works there with his family, all of whom create Sosaku Kokeshi. Winner of many awards, he received the Ministry of International Trade Industry Award in 1978. Since then he has won the Prime Minister’s Award, along with other respected commendations.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
Toa-san often employs beatifully painted Mizuki (Dogwood), for his pieces. We see all types of motifs used, including festival elements representing fireworks, and natural elements such as abstracted Gingko leaves, (Ginkgo trees survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, and are considered a “bearer of hope”). We additionally see wheat, plum flowers, cloud-filled skies, and evening sunsets. Many pieces illustrate long hair executed by deep carving to define the hair strands. Toa definitely shows off his artistic, painterly abilities with beautiful creations in black, grey, vermillion, and gold.
Artist's Signature:
