Traditional Rare Vintage ‘Nuruyu’ Style Tsugaru-Kei Kokeshi by Moriharu, Kitayama

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Dimensions: 5-1/2”h

Nuruyu dolls made their appearance at the Nuruyu Onsen, in the city of Kuroishi and are considered a rare strain of the Tsugaru family of dolls. In the early Taisho period, after restrictions placed by the ruling feudal lords were lifted, the body shapes of Tsugaru dolls began to vary considerably with each artist. Tsugaru artists were creating dolls for collectors, rather than staying within the boundaries of the original, typical Kokeshi, which were made as souvenir toys.

The youngest of all the Kokeshi families, the Nuruyu doll, with her wasp-like figure, is the most commonly seen type of this family. However, this doll shows an extremely tampered body, is made of one piece of wood with no joinery, involved and only turned on the lathe. The only decoration on the body is the Rokoru moyo varied circular banding in red, blue, and purple. She displays a more modern helmet-style haircut which is painted in solid black with an unpainted circle in the center. Her face has a very serious expression, with a marubana, (round nose), and extremely red cheeks. An exceptional collector’s piece because of the atypical treatment throughout the doll. The doll is signed by the artist.

Condition: Excellent, original condition, with no fading or loss of color and consistent with age and standards of collectible Folk Art. All details are perfect and as crafted.