Vintage Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Shunen | Flower Garden” by Kuribayashi, Issetsu (1924–2011)
Dimensions: 8-1/2”h x 5-1/2”dia. (8lbs)
This beautifully rendered Kokeshi is by Kuribayashi, who is considered one of the founding fathers of the Sosaku-Creative movement. The doll is a superb large, and one-of-a-kind creation, with beautiful black and red hand-painted decoration on the body featuring a Kiku, (chrysanthemum), floral motif to define the kimono. Other portions of the figure emphasize the wood grain and natural color. It also emphasizes humility with the narrow slant eyes, a tiny red nose, and flowing hair from the top of the head, down its shoulders completing the serene expression represented by this doll. The piece is signed.
Issetsu Kuribayashi ranks amongst the most celebrated Kokeshi artisans of the "golden era" of creative Kokeshi making. His works are always incredibly well-made, demonstrating his artistic flair. You may never see another Sosaku Kokeshi doll like this one again!! He began his career in 1955 and he is also featured in the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany alongside master Watanabe, Masao.
The piece is published in Sosaku Kokeshi: Celebrating the Major Artists of the Creative Movement in 2022. For more information on this artist go to the following link: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/artisan-woodworker-kuribayashi-issetsu-1924-2011.
Condition: Superb, meaning outstanding, excellent, and retains its original craft/workmanship showing a wonderfully-developed patina commensurate with age which corresponds to its vintage. The doll is void of damage, cracks, breakage, or repairs and exceptionally heavy being turned from one piece of wood. This doll meets all the standards of the collectible Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Kuribayashi, Issetsu | 1924-2011
Origin:
Kuribayashi-san was born in Yonezawa city in 1924. In about 1955, he started producing Creative Kokeshi. From Yonezawa City, Kuribayashi-san is considered one of the founding fathers of the Sosaku-Creative movement. His dolls have won every major award given over the years and are featured in the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany along with fellow Sosaku artist Watanabe Masao in 1979. Many of his works were one-of-a-kind creations." Yuzuriu", "Mugen" and "Kareha" are all prize winners in the 1960s-70s. In 1970, his work "Mugen" was displayed as representative art of the Sosaku Kokeshi specialization and exhibited at the Government Pavillion of Japan International Exposition. He was the president of Yonezawa Miyuki Association, Member of Nippon Kokeshi Artistic Handicraft Association.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
Most of his dolls are decorated with floral themes, such as stylized autumn themes, including Kiku, (Chrysanthemum), Daisies, and Ikat fabric designs. His dolls also utilize multiple types of wood, with natural colors, with hand-painting to define the face and clothing.
He enjoys long flowing unbound hair, (taregami), and incorporates traditional hairstyles both with and without hair ornaments, (Kanzashi). The eyes express humility, and his faces typically have a tiny red spot for the nose. Shape and balance are important elements of Japanese style and decoration. These carved and complementing shapes are thought to suggest intuition and inspiration. Additionally, a popular, Mother and Child theme is found in numerous works by various artists including Kuribayashi.
Artist's signature:
