Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled “Hanako | Flower Child” by Ishihara, Hideo (1925-1999)
 | Rare and Historically Significant

Sale price$485.00 Regular price$585.00
Save 17%

Dimensions: 11-1/4” h

Ishihara-san began making Sosaku Kokeshi, in the late 1950s, and in ten years, (1959-1969), he received more than 60 awards, including the highest honor, the Prime Minister’s Award. He was one of the founders of the Nippon Kokeshi Artistic Handicraft Association. 

This Kokeshi, along with all other variations of this type is extremely RARE, and is one of the most painterly accomplished dolls of this artist, particularly since he produced a limited number of dolls in a very short period. Ishihara-san was inspired by nature, as seen in the textile interpretation on the body of this rare doll in which the subject matter which is wild red roses, (akaibara), is said to convey passion. So why is this important to this artist? Ishihara-san was under medical care for more than ten years, when he studied painting. After his recovery, he was inspired to create Sosaku Kokeshi, thus the creation of this series of different-sized dolls.

All of his figural carvings and artistic paintings beautifully complement the complexity of the figures which bring out the true nature of the wood, which in this case was Cherry, (Sakura). The design of the head of his dolls always includes a black “Bob” hairstyle which always covers most of the face with ‘one-stroke eyes’ (Hitofude-me), and a small indication of a nose and mouth. This particular approach remained the same throughout his history of making Sosaku Kokeshi. The doll has his full inscription on the bottom of the piece identifying him as the maker.

A retired professor colleague and textile historian at Tokyo’s Bunka Gakuin University indicated that the textile design incorporated into this doll represents textiles worn at the time of the 1960 Japanese Peace Movement, (“Anpo Struggle”), and is beautifully represented by the painting experience of Ishihara.

The piece was published in the 2022 publication of Sosaku Kokeshi: Celebrating the Major Artists of the Creative Movement. For more information on this artist go to the following link: https://mingeiarts.com/collections/artisan-woodworker-ishihara-hideo-1925-1999.

Condition: Excellent, lathe-turned creation. A tactile experience, for it is outstanding, excellent, impressive, and beautiful. No chips, cracks, breaks, missing pieces, or restoration, and it retains its original details and finish. The piece meets all the standards of the vintage collectible Sosaku Kokeshi by Ishihara, Hideo.