Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi entitled: “Seijaku | Silence” by Yamanaka, Sanpei (1926-2012)
Dimensions: 9-0” h
The technical ability to carve a doll from one piece of wood and still give character to the differing elements of the piece is beautifully rendered on this wonderful Kokeshi. The most common feature is the use of ‘Rokuro moyo’ horizontally carved line work, which is incorporated into the design of the body. The face and red nose carry the feeling of impishness. The black hair treatment, which sets off the doll’s face, also shows the same form of carving over the top of the head, with a ‘Mage’ hairstyle and small ornament keeping the hair in place. There is a red signature on the bottom identifying the piece made by Yamanaka-san.
Born in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture Japan, a graduate of the Textile Engineering School, a member of the Japan Kokeshi Crafts Association, and an avid photographer. Yamanaka Sansei won 20 awards for his Kokeshi including the prestigious “Prime Minister” award in 1979. 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-yamanaka-sanpei-1926.
Condition: Pristine, meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship showing a wonderfully developed patina commensurate with age. The doll is void of damage, cracks, or breakage. This doll meets all the collectible Japanese Sosaku Kokeshi standards by Yamanaka, Sanpei.
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Artisan | Woodworker: Yamanaka, Sanpei | 1926-
Origin:
Born in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, Yamanaka-san began his artistic career as a photographer, after majoring in chemistry. However, rather than develop a career in Traditional Yamagata doll making, Yamanaka-san used his art background to join the Sosaku Kokeshi movement. A multiple award winner, he won the Ministry of Education Award at the all Nippon Modern Kokeshi Exhibition in 1979.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
Yamanaka-san creates wonderfully painted and decorated dolls in many forms and shapes. He may utilize a palette of soft watercolor rings in the Rokuro-moyo manner, to create a suggestion of a rainbow, because in Buddhism, the rainbow is “the highest state achievable before attaining Nirvana, where individual desire and consciousness are sublimated”. On numerous occasions, Yamanaka adds painted flowers to add to the overall dimension of the garment that it is representing. This is not to say that he does not enjoy the natural qualities of wood. Controlled carving adds textures that are neat, random, and sometimes repetitive, and provides decoration to his dolls. The carving contrasts nicely with the natural grain of the wood. Dolls portray wonderful traditional hairstyles through the use of “chattering’ and controlled carving. His head and facial designs are most expressive, particularly with figures of children.
Artist's Signature:
