Vintage Japanese Sakunami Wooden Fukuguruma (Fortune Car) Toy | Rare Sakunami Family Kiji Omocha
Dimensions: 3-3/4”h x 5-1/2”w x 3-3/4”d
One saw this type of original Kokeshi-inspired vintage Japanese wooden toy made by a family member named Hiraga, Kenichi, a Sakunami carver who specializes in this subject matter. This family of creators hails from Sakunami Onsen in Miyagi Prefecture and is one of the older Kokeshi firms as they date to the early Meiji period (1896-1912). The kiji-shi (woodworkers), divided their time between farming and wood-craft when in the winter time the land was less productive.
This style of toy is made from recycled wood and painted in a veritable rainbow of colors from the usual red and black to green, yellow, and even blue and purple as seen in this toy, and all made to attract younger children in the 1950s. The sides of the toy incorporate Rokoru mono stripes running around both wheels of the cart. The figure's body shows a chrysanthemum (Kiku) blossom which dominates the body. Its head like all the Skunami Kokeshi has the typical double eyelids and cat-shaped nose with side hair fringes black hair and bangs. An abstracted chrysanthemum is also incorporated on top of the head as decoration. The bar wooden bar that connects the figure to the two wheels is striped in red. This toy makes a wonderful clanking sound as the figure moves freely back and forth between both sides of the Fortune Car. The entire piece possesses the warm-heartedness of being a true treasure of a particular time in history. The figure is made of Mazuki, which is a very pale, fine, white-grained variety of dogwood, which is native to the area. It has the artist's script signature on the bottom of the doll.
See our Vintage Japanese Toy Section: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/vintage-japanese-toys as well as our e-book entitled: A Collector’s Guide: Traditional and Creative Kokeshi and Toys: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/our-books/products/a-collectors-guide-traditional-and-creative-kokeshi-and-toys
Condition: Excellent meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship and functions as intended, showing a wonderful-developed patina and is void of damage, cracks, breakage, or repairs and meets all the standards of the collectible Vintage Traditional Kokeshi Toys.
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Japanese Traditional Kokeshi | Yamagata-Sakunami-Kei (Family)
Prefecture: Miyagi
Origin:
Unique to this strain of the original ten traditional types is the fact that the Yamagata Kokeshi originated at Sakunami Onsen in Miyagi Prefecture, and produced by the Kobayashi family. The Kobayashi family later moved to the city of Yamagata in the prefecture of the same name. However, the Hiraga family stayed in Sakunami and continued producing the same style doll, which is why these Kokeshi are made in two different locations. Because there are two very different body shapes in this group, many people consider them separately, but due to the confusion over who actually created the first of this type, we will discuss them as one family.
Collector's note – characteristics/painting style:
Both shapes are made of one piece of wood, and plum and crab-flower chrysanthemum, (Kiku), blossoms dominate the body design. The flowers are usually painted in a very bold, stylized design in colours of red and dark green, and painted or grooved bands will ring the top and the bottom of the dolls. The dolls have disproportionately larger heads, but while the Yamagata doll has a very slender body, the later Sakunami dolls have wide upper bodies, and very narrow bases. Both look quite top-heavy, leading some people to assume that originally they were much smaller, and designed to be hand-held toys, rather than freestanding dolls.
Indeed, these dolls are one of the older Kokeshi forms, as they date to the early Meiji period, (1868-1912). Another unique feature of the Sakunami dolls is the fact they are only made from Mizuki, a very pale, fine-grained variety of dogwood, which grows in the Yamagata area.
Notable artists:
Hiraga Tadashi, b. 1937
Hiraga Kenjiro, Master
Kobayashi Koutaro, b. 1936
Kobayashi Eizo, Master
Kobayashi Seitaro, Grand Master