Yajiro-style Kokeshi [Shiroishi City, Miyagi]
Bright and cheerful young lady Kokeshi
"YajirostyleKokeshi"originatesfromtheYajirodistrictinFukuokaYatsumiya,ShiroishiCity,MiyagiPrefectureTheirhistorydatesbacktothemidEdoperiod,withrecordsfromKyowaera3(1803)listing13localwoodworkersLocatednearKamasakiOnsen,theareasawfarmersengaginginwoodworkingasasidejob,whiletheirwivessoldsouvenirsatthehotspring;apracticeknownas"Kamasakicommerce"Thestandoutfeatureof"YajirostyleKokeshi"istheirvibrantclothingWithlatheturnedlinesdepictingkimonocollarsandhems,alongwithfemininemotifslikebutterfliesandflowers,itsslenderwaistaddstoitsgracefulcharmPerhapsinfluencedbytheregion’srelativelywarmclimate,theirbright,opencolorschemesevokeahintofWesternaestheticsThetopoftheheadisdecoratedwithlatheturnedlinesresemblingaberet,astylethatbecamepopularintheMeijieraInrecentyears,effortstotrainnewartisansthroughopenrecruitmentandregionaldevelopmentinitiativeshavebeenunderwaytoaddressashortageofsuccessors*Kiji=Woodenvesselssuchasbowlsandtrays,beforetheyarepainted**Kijishi=Acraftsmanwhousesalathetoshapeandcreatewoodenitemssuchasbowlsandtrays
