Japanese Traditional Tougatta Kokeshi Koma | Kokeshi Kijigangu

Dimensions: 4.0”h x 2.75” dia.

This Tougatta Koma, Kijigangu, (wooden toy) is made by what is thought to be the oldest family members of the Traditional school. These tops originated in the Tougatta Onsen in the Miyagi Prefecture. In the 1960s, Togatta craftsmen founded the Tougatta Kiji Union, a cooperative that was able to gain the rights for reserved wood use from the Japanese Ministry of Forestry. The Tougatta style is easily found by collectors in an interesting range of Kijigangu and in this case a large spinning top. The handle of the top has a Tougatta head with a thick collar that allows the head to turn and has hair side fringes, a Buddhist style hair design, thin narrow eyes, and a cat-type nose. It has the same ‘banded’ body as seen on Kokeshi dolls decorated in a circular-style painted ring in yellow, red, and green, known as Rokoru Moyo, which is done as the doll is turned on the lathe.

Condition: Totally hand-crafted, original, and in very good condition with signs of aging with use marks and slight staining on the top of the piece. There are broken or missing parts.