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Kokeshi dolls are one of the traditional crafts that represent the Tohoku region .
It is a craft that has spread over a fairly wide area, with at least one unique style existing in every prefecture in the Tohoku region
we will take a closer look at Yajiro Kokeshi, which developed mainly in the Yajiro settlement in Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture
What is a Kokeshi doll?
Kokeshi dolls are wooden who mainly lived in mountain villages and made a living by using a potter's wheel to make bowls, trays, and other objects, to use as toys for their children or to sell as souvenirs to visitors to nearby hot spring resorts.
Yajiro Kokeshi Village | Kokeshi exhibition by type
It is said to have originated around the end of the Edo period, and is generally divided into the following 12 types based on its place of origin and characteristics
Tsugaru-style (Around Hirosaki and Kuroishi cities in Aomori Prefecture)
Southern group (Around Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
Kijiyama mountain range (around Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture)
Naruko-style (Naruko Onsen area, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Sakunami-style (Sakunami Onsen area, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Togatta type (Around Togatta Onsen, Zao Town, Katta District, Miyagi Prefecture)
Yajiro lineage (Kamasaki Onsen area, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Hijiori group (around Hijiori Onsen, Okura Village, Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture)
Yamagata-style (around Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture)
Zao Takayu system (Zao Onsen area, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture)
Tsuchiyu area (Tsuchyu Onsen area, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture)
Kokeshi dolls have many different names, such as kideko , dekoroko , kogesu , kiboko , hakogehoko , kinakinabokko, and odekosama.
There are various theories about where the name "kokeshi" originally came from
The evolution of the plague-repelling toy, the Yokeshi
Changes in Koge (piece of wood) and Hohoko (doll)
The meaning of "burnt wood"
A dialectal name for Okeshi, a small doll that was popular during the Edo period
There are several theories, such as the above. Each theory has a certain degree of persuasiveness, and it is thought that the other names mentioned above are names based on their origins, which have been changed by mixing in local accents
As you can see, kokeshi dolls were called by completely different names in different regions, but in 1940 (Showa 15), the "1st Local Gathering/Naruko Convention" , many people including kokeshi craftsmen and enthusiasts gathered and decided to unify the name into three hiragana characters, "kokeshi," and from then on, kokeshi came to be called "kokeshi" in all regions.
Yajiro-style kokeshi dolls developed around Kamasaki Onsen
the Yajiro style , which originated in the Yajiro district of Fukuoka, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, are thought to have developed from the mid-Edo period to the end of the Edo period when the number of people visiting Kamasaki Onsen for hot spring cures increased.
Women from the Yajiro village would carry suitcases on their backs and sell wooden products such as kokeshi dolls, bowls, and trays to visitors to Kamasaki Onsen for hot spring treatments; at the time, this was known as "Kamasaki commerce."
Yajiro-style Kokeshi
Its distinctive features are the lathe lines on the head and body, and the patterns on the collar and sleeves that look as if the doll is wearing a kimono
Kokeshi dolls are often colorfully painted in yellow, light blue, or purple, and have many feminine features, such as a curved body
In 1981, Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi (Yajiro style) was designated as a traditional craft of Japan
Kokeshi doll spots around Yajiro village
Yajiro village is located on the Minami Zao Shiraishi Line (Prefectural Route 254) heading towards Zao, past Kamasaki Onsen and further on
Yajiro Kokeshi Village
Yajiro Kokeshi Village is a facility located within the Yajiro settlement. The first floor houses an exhibition room related to kokeshi dolls, and the second floor houses a shop selling works by Yajiro-style kokeshi craftsmen and a space where you can try painting a kokeshi doll
Yajiro Kokeshi Village
The parking lot is directly connected to the second floor, so from the second floor you will be descending to the first floor
Yajiro Kokeshi Village | Yajiro Kokeshi dolls for sale by craftsman
Yajiro-style kokeshi dolls are sold by craftsman
Yajiro Kokeshi Village | Zunko and Zundamon Kokeshi exclusive to Kokeshi Village
There are also limited edition kokeshi dolls that can only be purchased here, as well as collaboration products with Sendai's famous zunda
Yajiro Kokeshi Village | Permanent Exhibition
There is a permanent exhibition of Yajiro Kokeshi dolls on the first floor. There is also an open exhibition room where the exhibits change seasonally
Yajiro Kokeshi Village | Kokeshi production process
You can learn about the process of making kokeshi dolls and the history of Yajiro village
Kokeshi workshop and work space in Yajiro Kokeshi Village
There is a workshop and work space in the courtyard where you can freely observe local and young kokeshi craftsmen at work
At the back of the courtyard is Onomiya Suiko Shinno Shrine (also known as Kokeshi Shrine), which enshrines Prince Koretaka the ancestor of woodworkers
Yajiro Kokeshi Village <Information>
Name: Yajiro Kokeshi Village
Address: 72-1 Yajiro Kita, Fukuoka, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-0733
If you head towards Yajiro Kokeshi Village on the Minami Zao Shiroishi Line (Prefectural Route 254), you will come across a number of shops and residences along the way that are believed to be the workshops of Yajiro Kokeshi craftsmen. This area is the "Yajiro Village," .
Yajiro Village (1)
This place first appears in history during the Meireki era (1640), when it is first recorded as the name of a house called "Yachiro" in a section of Yamiya village (present-day Fukuoka Yamiya, Shiroishi City)
Historically, it is believed to have been established through the reclamation of forests in the early Edo period
Yajiro Village (2)
In the mid-Edo period, they were employed as mountain guard foot soldiers for the Shiraishi Katakura family, vassals of the Date clan, and established themselves as settled woodworkers, living a half-farming, half-artisan lifestyle consisting of farming and woodturning
The "Kamasaki trade," the practice of selling wooden products to visitors to Kamasaki Onsen, also began around this time and flourished from the end of the Edo period through the Meiji period
Yajiro Village <Information>
Name: Yajiro village
Address: Yajiro Fukuoka, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-0733
Phone number:
Official URL:
Google Map
Kamasaki Onsen
This hot spring town in Shiroishi City is said to have been discovered in 1428, and is currently dotted with five inns
Ichijo, the owner of Kamasaki Onsen
It got its name from the legend that a local person dug the hot spring with the tip of a sickle while cutting grass. It is said that "the tip of the sickle is good for wounds," and a medicinal hot spring in Oshu .
The people of Yajiro village had been engaged in the "Kamasaki trade" for a long time, but the history of the "Kamasaki trade" came to an end in 1959 when the hot spring resort was transformed into a tourist hotel
Kamasaki Onsen <Information>
Name: Kamasaki Onsen
Address: Fukuoka Kuramoto, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-0231
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs
![The facial expressions of Togatta Kokeshi dolls](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_1784-150x150.jpg.webp "Togatta Kokeshi - Traditional Kokeshi Dolls Developed in Miyagi Zao's "Togatta Onsen" [Miyagi Prefecture]")
