Vintage Japanese Keshinohana | Poppy by Tanaka, Harumasa
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Dimensions: 6-1/4”h
This is a Kokeshi rare find or seen on the retail market or at auctions and rarely sees his dolls with poppies. It is turned from one piece of wood and assembled in three parts, all sculpturally conceived to give interest to the standard Kokeshi form. The face is a separate element with bangs slanted eyes and a red dot nose. Her head is fully covered with a suggested ‘Mage’ and a large and balanced Kansashi (hairpin) on the top. The main body of the figure is painted black with some of the original wood showing through to give the garment depth and definition, with abstracted red Poppies (Keshinohana), with white pistols disbursed throughout the garment.
We understand from the Gunma merchant where we purchased this piece, that just after this doll was released it was exhibited at the Hara Museum ARC, Shibokawa, (although not part of the ARC’s accessioning, for they do not have a Sosaku Kokeshi collection). The All Gunma Kendai Kokeshi Association, who host a Kokeshi competition each year, recently clarified the definition of Sosaku Kokeshi as meaning “original kokeshi”. Sosaku Kokeshi represents the evolution of the Traditional Kokeshi which was first introduced by eleven (11) families and represents craftspersons to this day that are not allowed to make any changes to the original family standard doll shapes or motifs. Harumasa-san won the Prime Minister’s Award at the 12th Annual All Nippon Japan Kokeshi Competition for this was one of the creations acknowledged. There is a signature identifying the artist on the bottom of this Kokeshi with the artists and handwritten notes indicating 8 of 49 pieces made, along with the title of the doll.
For more information on this artist go to: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/artisan-woodworker-tanaka-harumasa
Condition: Excellent condition exhibiting the wonderful manipulation of woods to form the figure producing a natural, aged patination and meticulous care. There are no missing elements, no scratches or imperfections related to daily use with all detailed elements intact. The doll retains the original craftsmanship, meeting the standards of the collector of Sosaku Kokeshi.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Tanaka, Harumasa
Biographical History:
Tanaka-san is acknowledged as a leading member of the Sosaku movement in the 1950s-60s and is a multiple award winner. His doll “Dojo”, (Young Lady), won the Prime Minister’s Award in 1965 at the 12th Annual All Nippon Japan Kokeshi Competition. He additionally was recognized with his creation entitled: Kantsubaki, (Winter Camellia). There is little biographical data on Tanaka-san, but as researchers and collectors, we felt it was most important to represent all Sosaku Kokeshi artists, and whether or not the artist has a written account of his or her life. No dates of Tanaka-san birth or death have been recorded.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
Tanaka beautifully illustrates the accomplished use of form, un-ornamented, and exceptionally painted surfaces. The artist uses wood to express feelings, related to the abstract treatment of the body. Modern-thinking young girls loved these abstract flamboyant designs in their garments to show that they had moved into a contemporary world which transformed their lives and connected them to the West. The most unusual aspect of course is the hair design style and ornaments, which is uniform and adds elegance to his interpretation of the figure. His abstract motifs are typically flowers, i.e., poppies and camellia in bold-colored lacquer. His most famous is the Kokeshi entitled: “Dojo or Young Lady”, left unadorned and relies solely on the carved form. The upswing eyes are extremely expressive with a simple red dot to express the nose and the hair treatment of this award-winning doll was always a uniform ‘Bob’ hairstyle. Dolls from this series were only made from Birch wood.
Several of his Kokeshi were published and cited as a Japanese competition winner introduced in the United States under the auspices of the Japan Society of New York. The exhibition was hosted by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization). The catalog entitled: Kokeshi Dolls From Japan,(Printed by DOBI Printing Co., Ltd. Japan), citing 232 Kokeshi, for which the image of his works were featured with the artist/designer, name of the doll, (English and Japanese), and the size of the doll.