A Kakeshi doll and a Daruma doll

A Kakeshi doll and a Daruma doll. The left-side doll is a beginning 20th century wooden doll. The location where this little doll was made is called today Tohoku (hot-springs resorts) Japan, height 15cm. On the left, stands the well-known DARUMA doll made of mulberry paper. Entered the museum collection in 2007. Height 12 cm. Known the world over, is the Kokeshi (left at the photo) nevertheless, a rather recent item that entered the domain of the traditional Japanese toy. It made its appearance during the late Edo-period late 18th century. It’s a very simple wooden doll having only a rudimentary human form. Their ancestors were dolls made of clay and paper. They had found their origins in a spiritualistic religion. The farmer’s community in Japan honored them as “memento mori” remembrance of the dead. They were considered to contain the spiritual essence of the deceased. Later on were the paper/clay-dolls replaced by wooden ones, which were turned on a hand-powered wood-lathe. The Kokeshi today are the result of a kind of evolution. From simple ritual paper-dolls, did they become real works of art. The Kokeshi shown in the photo is an exceptional and antique example. The general outlook of the doll and especially the form of the head guarantees the age. Next to this Kokeshi doll stands another Japanese toy that’s known the world over. That constant tumbling, over and back, around a dwarf-like figure, is the DARUMA made of many layers of mulberry-paper and glue. The DARUMA has apparently no legs or arms. Legs indeed he doesn’t have anymore, it’s said that he lost them through nine years of sitting in meditation. His arms, he still has but you can’t see them, they are tucked away in the folds of his brilliant red robe. When you buy a DARUMA, he will have blank eyes. Only when you make a wish and you want the Daruma to help you to obtain a good outcome of your wish, you can paint a black dot in one eye. Japanese do this always with a bit of festivities.