Vintage Sosaku Kokeshi Entitled, “Winter Drizzle | Sansa Shigure” by Takahashi Tatsuro
We are not accepting orders from December 8 - Jan 1, 2025. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will resume sales on Jan 1st.
Dimensions: 12-0”h
This exceptional doll incorporates distinctive features for which the artist is known, which is his exquisite dolls depicting famous poems. This Kokeshi is entitled, “Sansa Shigure | Winter Drizzle”, and depicts a famous Heian Period court song about waiting for Spring.
The Haiku reads:
“The clouds are gone and
sparrows
are telling each other tales”.
The head of the doll has traditional overtones of the Tougatta style with bangs, side hair fringes, and an expressive face with arched upper eyebrows and eyes, a teardrop nose, and red lips. The transition from the body to the head is beautifully turned, with the collar of the Kimono sensitively fashioned. The body is done by the Sosaku standards and is decorated with a bamboo tree and two lovely black and white sparrows sitting on its branches. They are accompanied by a beautifully written poem noted above. From the earliest stages of Japanese history, poetry and song have been very important, and any distinction between the two is not clear. What is clear is that poetry is almost always imagined as being recited aloud. Poetry and music are the themes of these beautifully rendered figures. The doll is finished with a natural-colored candle wax, (Rosoku no ro). Takahashi-san’s work is very rare and highly collectible. The doll has the artist's stamp on the bottom.
Condition: Excellent, original, immaculate condition, with no fading or loss of color and consistent with age. The piece meets all the standards of collectible Folk Art.
NOTE: As collectors, we felt it was most important to represent all Traditional and Sosaku Kokeshi, whether or not the artist has been identified, their seal or artistic signature translated, or a written account of this artist’s life. Each shows the diversity of this cultural specialization and the creative work produced by this artist. There is no biography published on this artist.
Return Policy
Our antique/vintage pieces are identified/described and professionally photographed, and considered, “as is”, therefore all sales are final. Read our full refund and return policy.
Artisan | Woodworker: Takahashi, Tatsuro
Biographical History:
As collectors, we felt it was most important to represent all Sosaku Kokeshi artists, whether or not each artist has a written account of his/her life. We show the diversity of cultural values and the creative work produced by a multitude of artists. As a valued customer, Kokeshi collector noted, “Kokeshi collecting is a personal journey in this everlasting realm of Japanese esthetics”. DF
In researching old writings through articles and books that remain, it is evident that the Kokeshi Craftsperson not only created beautiful forms as toys, but also kept alive cultural values, customs, and fashion through the extensive representations of Kokeshi dolls. The beauty is in the doll and not the signatures, for most masters never signed their dolls. Later they named the dolls, but only when Westerners insisted on signatures because they did not know the artists, so the carvers began to sign their works, for the carvers wanted to promote sales to make a living, during the seasons that did not provide an environment to continue their otherwise daily work.
Collector's note – descriptive qualities, standard characteristics & ornamentation styles:
These exceptional Kokeshi are categorized as Sosaku, even though the foundation of the doll is inspired by the traditional Tougatta style in which the head follows the Tougatta family styling with a relatively large head with a clean and simplified body made of dogwood, (mizuki). The artist incorporates stylized black accented hair, and side hair fringes, with an unusual tuft of hair on the back of the head cascading down the back. This long tuft of hair represents a very important Shinto concept of “purity”. The facial detail shows accents on the eyebrows and expressive eyes, a teardrop nose, and expressive red lips.
Known for his exquisite dolls depicting famous poems, Tatsuro’s dolls are highly coveted by collectors. These three Kokeshi entitled, “Sansa Shigure | Winter Drizzle”, depict a famous Heian Period court song about waiting for Spring. The bodies are decorated with bamboo and sparrows and accompany the beautiful writing of the poems. From the earliest stages of Japanese history, poetry and song have been very important, and any distinction between the two is not clear. What is clear is that poetry is almost always imagined as being recited aloud. Poetry and music are the themes of these beautifully rendered figures. The Haiku reads:
“The clouds are gone and
sparrows
are telling each other tales”