Japanese Vintage Hinamatsuri Ningyo Festival Prince and Princess Toy by Kon Akira (Senju)
Dimensions: 1-1/2”h x 2-3/8” dia. (Hina Dolls 7/8” h x 7/8” dia)
This beautiful wood-carved and painted toy was used for amusement by young girls. The kiji-shi (woodworkers), during this period, used their spare time making souvenirs for visitors at the Onsens. This toy was created to celebrate the New Year holidays in Japan. The set of two Hina dolls is honorably presented on a wooden pad. They are simply designed and detailed wearing traditional kimonos.
Every year on March 3rd, Japan celebrates the Doll festival. Hina Matsuri is ‘Girls' Day’ or “Dolls day’. The parents will give all types of Hina dolls to their daughters. A day to thank heaven for little girls-to wish for their future health, wealth, and happiness. The piece is signed on the bottom.
Condition: Excellent condition means that the piece has no cracks or repairs with fine and original details consistent with age and standards of collectible Vintage Japanese Toys.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Seiju studied under Master Hasegawa, Tatsuo, and his designs are based on the Tsugaru-style kokeshi, where his pieces were sold at the Owani Spa, Aomori. Little is known about this artist, other than he is from the Yamagata area, a major Kokeshi-making city/prefecture. ‘Noh’ theatre, of course, along with Kabuki, is Japan’s great gift to the Western world. They originated at religious festivals in the first half of the fourteenth century.
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Japanese Traditional Kokeshi | Tsugaru-Kei (Family)
Prefecture: Aomori
Origin:
Tsugaru is the newest of the ten traditional kokeshi. Tsugaru has a great deal of variety in the shape and pattern of the doll. The youngest of all the strains of dento kokeshi, Tsugaru-kei developed after adults took an interest in buying more kokeshi as souvenirs from trips to the hot-spring resorts. Tsugaru dolls, which originated in the Aomori Prefecture in the region of the same name, are sometimes also known as Nuruyu dolls, originally fabricated by Hidetaro Mori and which made their appearance at Nuruyu ("lukewarm") Onsen, in the city of Kuroishi.
Collector's note – characteristics/painting style:
One of the distinguishing features of this doll is that it has hair in a bob or a chignon, (topknot), without much decoration on the head, though the hair is painted solid black, brush strokes are visible on the edges of the bangs and hair. White Iris, Peony, Camellia, and Daruma dominate as body decoration, along with stripes, (Rokuro Moyo), at the top, center, or bottom of the doll. One can easily recognize a Tsugaru doll because many will have the face of Daruma painted on the lower half of the body. Also, the flowers painted on the doll look quite realistic; the short history of the strain may not yet have given it enough time to patronize. Dolls that have round chests, thin waists, and cone-shaped lower bodies on which human faces are painted will strike you as quite unusual and interesting.
NOTE: the pair of images on the right representing Daruma, was created by Sato, Zenji, (b.1925), in which he drew “feet” on the bottom side with his signature, and the figure on the right is signed by his mentor and master, Mori, Hidetori, (b1895). Most of the faces are taken from the pictures decorating huge floats used for a summer festival in Aomori and Hirosaki.
Notable artists:
Obo, Muchihide, 1950
Hasegawa, Kenzo, 1942
Kojima, Toshiyuki, 1949
Kon, Akira, 1953
Mamiya, Masao, 1921
Mori, Hidetaro, 1955
Sato, Yoshiki, 1949
Shimazu,Seiichi, 1930