Secrets of Japan
Kokeshi Vendor 2023
Let’s talk about how it all started. We bump into the Kokeshi world by accident while searching for something else. We knew Kokeshi (traditional wooden dolls of Northern Japan) because they were often displayed at toy museums in Russia as the original influence in the history of Matryoshka dolls.
But we had no idea how they were made. When we saw a YouTube video of Kokeshi painting while lathe is turning, Our jaws dropped.
We started to have Kokeshi fever and ordered some Kokeshi books. Finally we learned that they are made in all around Northern Japan. We see the city of Aomori in the map. What a nice name. That was our first impression.
While we were traveling Russia in 2014, we received a surprising email from Japan.
¨We would like to invite you to Aomori Museum of Art in Japan do a project next year.¨
Aomori?
Is that that Aomori?
This is how it all started.
Since then we have continued our cooperation for about 10 years now.
Every time we visit Tokyo, we take the Tohoku Shinkansen and transit to 2 smaller train to Kuroishi via Aomori and Hirosaki to meet Mr. Abo and his family.
Our newest collaboration is ‘Kokeshi Vendor’.
A Kokeshi Vendor is a person who makes and sells Kokeshi.
He is almost wearing his own creations that look alike himself.
