The World of Kokeshi Dolls

It all started as a way for kijiya, or Japanese woodworkers, to make a little extra money during the winter months.

The kijiya began making wooden dolls, called kokeshi, back in the 1600s as a souvenir for tourists at local hot-spring resorts. Over the years, making the dolls became an art that was handed down through the generations from father to son. The art became more popular, and the dolls in each region began to have a distinctive look, with body shape and markings specific to their geographical location. After World War II, the art spread from the northern Tohoku region, where it had originated, to cover all of Japan.

Today the dolls are a common souvenir tourists can purchase, and the art continues to flourish.

For the next month, community members have the opportunity to see traditional kokeshi dolls for themselves as Utah's Cultural Celebration Center kicks off its 2007 gallery season with "The World of Kokeshi Dolls," an international traveling exhibit from Tokyo, Japan.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us. What we're all about is building culture and understanding between different groups through a celebration of the arts," said Susan Klinker, UCCC program and development director. "We want to build appreciation not only for the arts but for cultural diversity as well."

The exhibit highlights kokeshi doll styles from 11 geographical regions. The body style and coloring are reflective of the region they originate in.

For example, Togatta kokeshi dolls have a straight cylindrical body and narrow eyes. The top of the head is usually painted with a red radiant decoration that has red lines curving from the forehead down the cheeks. In contrast, the Tsugaru dolls have a head and body of one piece. Some have a wasp waist and others have heavy-set shoulders. Patterns painted on the body include flowers, nebuta floats and other motifs.

In addition to traditional kokeshi dolls, the exhibit also features wooden folk toys made by artisans using kokeshi techniques and creative kokeshi dolls. Creative kokeshi are an artistic take on the traditional dolls. They represent original art done by individual craftsmen. The only link between creative and traditional kokeshi dolls is that they are made on a lathe.

Mike Christensen, UCCC folklorist, said the exhibit is significant because of the comparison it offers between a traditional and creative take on an ancient art.