Pair of Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Yajirobē and Kitahachi | Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige ”

Dimensions: 4-0” h; 2-3/4”h

A number of the original Sosaku Kokeshi artists were part of the craftsmen and broke away from the families that created Traditional Kokeshi and began by introducing historical and folklore subjects in the creation of their newly found style. “Kokeshi Artifacts such as the pair being offered are tangible incarnations of social relationships embodying the attitudes and behaviors of the past.” Many of these dolls were small and represented social practices, cultural norms, local and regional practices, cultural norms, and other valuable historical data related to the upper classes and the samurai. Kokeshi, as in this case, represented provenances throughout Japan that celebrated the values of those citizens. Afterward, Sosaku carvers moved onto more diverse images and motifs that represented various aspects of everyday traditions and costumes of all ages and regions to satisfy the appetite of travelers and those sight-seeing throughout Japan. 

Historic Figures — Additional Information: The story of Yajirobi & Kitachachi is recorded in a novel entitled: Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, abbreviated as Hizakurige and known in translation as Shank's Mare, a comic picaresque novel (Kokkeibon), written by Jippensha Ikku (1765–1831), focused on the misadventures of these two travelers on the Tokaido, the main road between Kyoto and Edo during the Edo period. The book was published in twelve parts between 1802 and 1822.

The publication entitled: Hizakurige provides information and anecdotes regarding various regions along the Tōkaidō. Tourism was booming during the Edo Period when this was written. This work is one of many guidebooks that proliferated, to whet the public's appetite for sight-seeing. A second book was also written, called Zaku Hizakurige, which includes material on the Kiso Valley, Konpira, and Miyajima. Some of the episodes from this novel have been illustrated by famous ukiyo-e artists, such as Utagawa Hiroshige, The Practical Jokers Yajirobei and Kitahach (1840), and another by Kano Tomonobu, entitled: Portraits of Yajirobei & Kitahach (1912). See the images included in this listing depicting these two men and their encounters and antics.

This pair of Kokeshi focuses on a folklore that was known throughout Japan in the 1800s-1900s. As Edo men who viewed the world through an Edo lens. Yajirobē and Kitahachi traveled throughout Japan on their pilgrimage to Ise Grand Shrine. A major comical style book written on this subject and as a traveler's guide traveling through the Tōkaidō Road. It details famous landmarks at each of the 53 post towns along the road, where the characters, often called Yaji and Kita, frequently find themselves in hilarious situations. They travel from station to station, predominantly interested in food, sake, and the diverse people they encounter.   

Pictured are those two lathe-carved characters made from one piece of Beechwood, (Buna-zai) each having interesting facial characteristics with big eyes and noses, and heads with black feathered hair on the back and wearing hachimaki headbands in bright blue. Both are carrying hats referred to as sugegasa, that illustrate scenes of the countryside that they experienced throughout their travels. Each is carrying a simulated bag of personal belongings. They are unfinished except for a clear lacquer finish painted in a fluid texture of oil and brown acrylic paint swirled to give a visual texture. Along with the pair of Kokeshi are three woodblocks and the original book.

This pair of Kokeshi was additionally used as graphic images in two books in English: Kokeshi: Wooden Treasures of Japan 2005, and Sosaku Kokeshi: A New Look at an Old Tradition, 2015. The woodworker has not been identified although one of the pair is signed and identified on the side of the hat, but the script is not translatable because of its age and the change in the Kanji since they are fabricated.

Condition: Excellent detailing for small figures, outstandingly depicted, impressive, and unique. No chips, cracks, breaks, missing pieces, or restoration, and retains its original details and finish. Both dolls meet all the standards of the vintage collectible Sosaku Kokeshi.