Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled “Mushin | Innocence” by Watanabe, Masao (1917-2007)
Dimensions: 15-0”h
Born in Fukushima, Watanabe-san studied under Traditional Yajirou Master Sato, Tatsuo of Miyagi Prefecture. Arguably, he is the most popular and prolific of the 20th/c Sosaku Kokeshi artists.
Of all the Kokeshi produced by Watanabe-san, this doll is the most representative of this artist’s work, and in our opinion, celebrates the material from which all Kokeshi are made. Kokeshi has a history of using various types of timber frequently associated with woodworkers in the mountains, utilizing beautifully-grained wood available to the Kiji-shi (woodworkers), all over Japan’s northern regions. Kokeshi artists like Masao Watanabe represent the spirit-infused status of the wood, for it is believed to retain the materials’ original sacred and natural qualities.
The shape of the head is an unusual style referred to as ‘Hyoutan’, (gourd), or in some academic circles, the Japanese ‘Kuri’ (chestnut). The emphasis is on the beautiful color of the natural wood grain, and its smooth curves brought about through the use of the lathe. This specific form is the most recognizable feature of each doll in this series. The representation of Yukata and the painting of the white sash represent the beloved Japanese tradition of “going to the bath”. The understated hair treatment and small horizontal slashes for the eyes are characteristic of this style of Kokeshi. An inscription and stamp identifies Watanabe-san as the creator and maker along with the name of this Kokeshi.
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-watanabe-masao-1917-2007. Listing Image Credit: The image included in this listing shows Watanabe making this doll for which the image was taken by WATANABE MASAO BY FLAMINIA PIROZZI, 2020 licensed under © BY by Soulportals.com and approved for inclusion in this listing.
Condition: This excellent, lathe-turned-creation that provides an exceptional visual-tactile experience. It is outstanding, impressive, and beautiful. There are no chips, cracks, breaks, missing pieces, or restoration, and retains its original details and finishes. The piece meets all the standards of the Vintage Collectible Sosaku Kokeshi by Watanabe, Masao.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Watanabe, Masao | 1917-2007
Biographical History:
Watanabe-san is considered to be one of the greatest Sosaku Kokeshi artists in all of Japan. 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) won the 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. A multiple award winner from 1963-1981 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 the emphasis is on the color of the natural wood and texture, and his diversity of form is the most recognizable characteristic of his dolls. The representation of clothing is seen in the use of the diverse rendering of Kimono, Yukata, and Haori complemented by the painted details that are common throughout his works. Several dolls not only show wonderful color rendition as well as textured/ raised applications resembling Shibori, a type of tie-dyeing that gives texture to the garment. He also prominently features the rose and camellia as a central motif along with extremely expressive eyes throughout the range of ages represented in his works.
Signature Research:
We heard from our colleague at Soulportals KokeshiVillage, a website researching vintage and contemporary Kokeshi artists and signatures. It was brought to our attention that Watanabe subcontracted an artist named Sato Norio to reproduce large numbers of his Kokeshi in the 1960s because of an enormous number of orders for his award-winning design Chigazokaura. Watanabe's signature for pieces designed and crafted by him is shown on this page celebrating a number of his award-winning dolls. Nario's versions were entitled Plum Grove and approved/attributed to Masao but not crafted by him.