Vintage Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi by Murakami, Ken-Ichi
We are not accepting orders from December 8 - Jan 1, 2025. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will resume sales on Jan 1st.
Dimensions: 8-1/2”h
The title of this Kokeshi is “Yuki | Snow Maiden” in which Murakiam’san felt it was sometimes best to allow the wood to do the speaking, and to use a simple line- drawing of the face and snow coat as the perfect expressive quality of a doll. Incorporated is minimal Sumi-e’ ink and wash drawing technique that is not simply meant to reproduce the appearance of the facial characteristics including her hair bangs, and additionally to represent the hooded winter snow coat, (Mino) which she is wearing, and capturing its spirit. The piece is made of Beech, (Buna) with a base of Oak (Kashiwa) and has the doll title on the back of its base and the carvers stamp on the bottom.
Condition: Excellent, retains the original craft/workmanship. No discoloration, chipping/cracking, or slight surface wear with a lovely lightly used warmth. The piece meets all the standards of Kokeshi collectible Folk Art.
NOTE: Please visit our section entitled Browse by Artist, (https://mingeiarts.com/collections/artisan-woodworker-murakami-ken-ichi-1929) for more information on this artist.
Return Policy
Our antique/vintage pieces are identified/described and professionally photographed, and considered, “as is”, therefore all sales are final. Read our full refund and return policy.
Artisan | Woodworker: Murakami, Kenichi | 1929-
Biographical History:
A multi-award winner, Murakami-san was born in Yamagata City. Though his family were well-known wood craftsmen, Kenichi studied oil painting in the early 1940s, but began training and creating Sosaku Kokeshi by 1946. Since 1962, his dolls have received many top prizes including the coveted Prime Minister Award. In 1976, his dolls were exhibited in West Germany and the United States. Today, he operates several galleries in Yamagata Prefecture, including a gallery at the Ginza Matsuzakaya.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
He primarily creates dolls with minimal decoration, with an emphasis on a variety of woodworking techniques. Kenichi loved to capture the innocence of a young child and prided himself on producing wonderful, textural pieces created by deep carving and horizontal cut lines to suggest and reinforce the subject. His dolls are seen painted, like illustrating the yukata, or left un-ornamented 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.