Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Kantsubaki | Winter Camellia” by Tanaka, Harumasa

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Dimensions: 7-1/4”h

This is a 1965 award-winning doll and a very rare, possibly one-off creation since no others have been recorded or placed on the market. It is one of the only abstract and artistically executed Sosaku Kokeshi that has won numerous awards at the 12th Annual All-Nippon Japan Kokeshi Competition.  

One must look closely to see that the slanted portion of the face incorporates a face with eyes humbly casting downward, and a suggestion of bangs running across the top of the head, contrasting to the abstractness of the red Camellia used to define the front of the Kimono. Other than the elaborately painted front portion, (scallop-edged head and body form), of this doll, the un-ornamented portions of the figure are finished in black lacquer and focused on all the beautiful work on the front of the doll. There is an old type of circular detailed inscription in Kanji and a script signature identifying the artist on the bottom of the doll.  

The piece was 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-tanaka-harumasa.

Condition: Excellent meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship showing a wonderfully developed patina commensurate with age which suggests a degree of wear that corresponds to its vintage and is void of damage, cracks, breakage, or repairs. This doll meets all the standards of the collectible Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi by Tanaka, Harumasa.