Vintage Japanese Kokeshi – Hijiori style – signed Kobayashi Shōzō – 24 cm

📐 Features:

• Origin: Japan, Yamagata Prefecture, found in Tokyo Prefecture.
• Date of creation: May 2000
• Style: Hijiori-kei (肘折系)
• Artisan: Kobayashi Shōzō (小林昭三, born in 1942)
• Material: Turned and hand-painted wood
• Height: 24 cm
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition

🌸 Description:

Beautiful traditional kokeshi doll of the Hijiori style, created in May 2000 by Kobayashi Shōzō, an artisan from northern Japan. This model is distinguished by its fine lines, its light wood and its vibrant floral patterns, painted with precision. The gentle face, with its calm expression, is in the Hijiori tradition, known for its delicacy and elegance.

The Hijiori style remains rare, confidential and not widely known, even in Japan. This piece is a beautiful illustration of it: simple, luminous, and balanced.

🧑🎨 The artisan: Kobayashi Shōzō (小林昭三)

Born in 1942, Kobayashi Shōzō is the son of wood sculptor Kobayashi Zensaku, whose work he observed from childhood. A graduate of Waseda University, he pursued an initial career in journalism while continuing to create kokeshi for collectors. It was after his retirement in the 2000s that he fully dedicated himself to this art.

His work is recognized and documented in the book "Traditional Kokeshi – The Last List of Artisans" by the Kamei Art Museum, making him a respected name among the last Hijiori kokeshi artisans.

🦝 Our opinion:

A beautiful kokeshi with flamboyant colors on a warm light wood and in perfect condition. Signed by a renowned artisan who continues to perpetuate the Hijiori style!