Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi Doll entitled: “Wa | Harmony” by Murakami, Ken-ichi
Dimensions: 9-1/2”h x 6-3/4”h
Each doll shows beautiful natural treatment of the wood, with their individual graining, coloration, and burned detailed. Murakami-san rarely paints his dolls, and if he does, it’s very minimal, other than to define facial features.
In Japan, love between individuals and romantic relationships means accepting a partner for who they are, for who they are throughout their life, no matter what changes. Making the best of every situation is how one achieves personal fulfillment in romantic relationships. This pairing is a perfect example, both by the turning of the forms, and the different colorations of the wood, stressing individuality. Each piece has the impressed mark of Murakimi-san.
Condition: Excellent, original condition, with no fading or loss of color and consistent with age. The piece meets all the standards of collectible Folk Art.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Murakami, Kenichi | 1929-
Origin:
A multi-award winner, Murakami-san was born in Yamagata City. Though his family were well-known woodcraftsmen, Kenichi studied oil painting in the early 1940s, but began training and creating Sosaku Kokeshi by 1946. He primarily creates dolls with minimal decoration, with an emphasis on a variety of woodworking techniques. He is a multi-prize winning artist including the coveted Prime Minister Award.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
This artist loved to capture the innocence of a young child. Murakami-san prided himself on producing wonderful, textural pieces created by deep carving and horizontal cut lines to suggest and reinforce the subject. His dolls could be painted, like illustrating the yukata, or left unornamented using simple lines to suggest the use of a snow coat, (Mino) during the winter season. Sumi’-e was often employed to capture the spirit of the subject.
Artist's signature:
