A traditional form that embodies a child's toy

WoodturninginSakunamibeganinthelateEdoperiodwhenNanjoTokuemon,awoodturnertrainedinHakone,washiredbyIwamatsuRyokanTogetherwithhisapprentice,NaosukeIwamatsu,hebeganmakingKokeshiNaosuke’s"YorozuhikimonoHikaecho"ledger,discoveredintheHeiseiera,recordedthatpricesforKokeshiweresetaccordingtotheirsize,andnotedthatthebirthplaceofKokeshiwasSakunami,whichhadbeensubjecttovarioustheoriesItwashailedasamajordiscoveryintheKokeshiworld

This"SakunamistyleKokeshi,"borninSakunami,ischaracterizedbyitsslimbodyItreflectsthelegacyofbeingatoy,designedwithafocuson"beingeasyforchildrentogrip"SincetheTaishoera,whenKokeshitransitionedfromtoystoornamentalitems,theybegantoincludepedestalswhichincreasedtheirstabilityThebodyfeaturesapatternknownas"Kanigiku,"withlathelinesattheshouldersandhem,andadesignofchrysanthemumsthatresembleacrabinbetweenOriginally,theseKokeshihadsternfacialexpressions,butovertime,theybecamesofterandgentle*Kiji=Woodenvesselssuchasbowlsandtrays,beforetheyarepainted**Kijishi=Acraftsmanwhousesalathetoshapeandcreatewoodenitemssuchasbowlsandtrays