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

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Dimensions: 10-3/4”h

Moriharu-san, (1947-) studied under master Yamatani, Kiyo where his pieces were originally sold at the Nuruyu Spa, Aomori prefecture, and is considered a rare strain of the Tsugaru family of dolls. Tsugaru artists were creating dolls for collectors, rather than staying within the boundaries of the original, typical Kokeshi, which were made as toys.

As seen in this beautiful doll, she has an undulating body and is made of one piece of wood with only one joinery element attaching the ‘bobble’ head to the body. The only decoration on the body is the Rokoru moyo varied circular banding in red, green, and purple. She has a round head and displays a more modern hairstyle painted in solid black, with a natural base wood color circle in the center and stylized trimming of the hair. Her eyes are extremely painterly and expressive, with a marubana, (round nose) and red-painted cheeks. The doll is signed and named on the bottom by the artist.

 See additional writings on our website related to this subject: Under our Browse and Learn section, please refer to https://mingeiarts.com/collections/tsugaru-kei-family for full details on the history of this family of dolls.

Condition: This rare piece has no stains or imperfections and considered in excellent original condition, and retains the original craft/workmanship showing a wonderfully developed, untouched patina commensurate with age. This Kokeshi meets all the standards of Tsugaru Family Kokeshi collectibles.