Vintage Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Kurōbā no ko” | Clover Child by Watanabe, Masao
Dimensions: 10-1/2”h (4lbs)
This RARE and LARGE Kokeshi represent a young girl, with a quite unusual and exaggerated egg-like shaped head for which the piece is made of solid beech wood and extremely heavy. The head has a wisp of bangs in black and done in a sumi-e’ technique, with simple modest downturned eyes and red noses. The top of the head, and on the back, is painted in green representing the fields of clover, (this application is very light so as to allow the natural golden color of the beech wood “Buna-zai”) to show through. Her body has a very light suggestion of a three leaf clover with horizontal sumi-e’ red strips on her clothing. The doll has a clear lacquer finish that accentuates the wood from which it is made and sealed with a type of natural clear candle wax, (Rosoku no ro). The doll is signed and stamped by Watanabe-san as well as the title in script.
This Tanka, (long poem), Watanabe associated this poem with the creation of this series of dolls:
“It’s all I have to bring today
This, and my heart beside
This, and my heart, and all the fields
And all the meadows wide
Be sure you count — should I forget to tell
This, and my heart, and all the Bees which in the Clover dwell.”
Watanabe-san is a multiple award winner for his dolls throughout Japan and has a permanent exhibit at the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany. To read more about this artist and his work go to: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/artisan-woodworker-watanabe-masao-1917-2007
Condition: Excellent condition exhibiting the wonderful lathe-turning and application of color producing a natural, aged patination and meticulous care. There are no missing elements, a few scratches from aging and daily use. The doll retains the original craftsmanship, meeting the standards of the collector of Sosaku Kokeshi.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Watanabe, Masao | 1917-2007
Origin:
Masao Watanabe | 1917-2007 (89)
Born in Fukushima, Watanabe-san studied under Traditional Yajirou Master Sato, Tatsuo of Miyagi Prefecture. Arguably, the most popular and prolific of the 20th/c Sosaku Kokeshi artists, he began his craft in the early 1950s. His most famous Kokeshi themes are that of ‘innocence’ (Mushin), and his doll entitled: Chigo Zakura (Cherry Blossom Child). A multiple award winner in Kokeshi competitions around the world (Prime Minister's prizes for the works of "Chigozskura" in 1963 and "Shojo" in 1981), along with numerous prizes by the Modern Kokeshi Artist Association and JETRO. He held two exhibitions in Japan and was exempt from the examination of the All Japan Kokeshi Contest, a Member of the Nippon Kokeshi Artistic Handicraft Association. His works are permanently exhibited at the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
Of all the Kokeshi produced by Masao Watanabe, his doll entitled, Mushin, (Innocence), is the most representative of this artist’s work. The emphasis is on the color of the natural wood and texture, and the form of this piece is the most recognizable of all of his dolls. The representation of clothing, complemented by the natural graining of the wood, and the painting of the sash, is common for this particular series. The natural wood implies the kimono or yukata with Its smooth curves brought about through the use of the lathe. Some painted and raised forms to resemble Shibori, a type of tie-dyeing that give texture to the garment. He also prominently features the rose and camellia as a central motif. His most famous piece above, is entitled, ‘Chigo Zakura’, (Cherry Blossom Child), which won the Prime Minister’s Award, and was presented to the Beatles in 1965, after their appearance in Japan with Sir Joseph Lockwood, Chairman of EMI Record Distributors, England.
Artist's Signature:
