Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled “Korin | After Ogata Korin” by Takahashi, Hashime (1918-2002)

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Dimensions: 14-1/2” h

Takahashi-san’s artistic background as a painter includes time spent as a craftsman of ‘Yuzen’, a silk kimono dying. He is a multiple-award winner in yearly Kokeshi competitions, receiving the Prime Minister’s Award, the highest honor bestowed on Sosaku Kokeshi artists.  

This exceptional and RARE Kokeshi pays homage to Ogata Korin, who was born in 1658, and was a Japanese artist of the Tokugawa period. He is regarded as one of the masters of the Sotatsu-Koetsu School of Decorative Painting. An accomplished painter, he employed Japanese subject matter with a colorful, decorative style. He also was an expert lacquer artist, whose work has had a tremendous influence on Kokeshi craftsmen such as Takahashi-san, and others working in the field. 

Takahashi, as influenced by Korin, is famous for his textile designs and pictorial decorations now interpreted on Kokeshi wooden forms, as this piece pictures abstract, bold silver-colored flowers and tree branches on a natural Ash, (Kaibun), wood-patterned background.  The wonderful-proportioned head is perched on a bold and solid neck that joins this element with the body of the doll. The face is very expressive with horizontal, slanted eyes, and a wisp of black bangs on top of the head with side fringes. Takahashi-san titled, this piece, signed in script, and placed his Hanko on the bottom of the doll. 

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-takahashi-hashime-1918-2002.

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