Usaburo Kokeshi 'Camellia' in chestnut wood.

Creative decorative kokeshi doll carved in wood. Although the head is made of mizuki wood, the wood usually used for kokeshi carving, chestnut wood has been used for the body. In this case, the body is left natural, with a simple varnish, in order to appreciate the colour and beautiful grain of the wood.

This delicate kokeshi takes its name, "Camellia" (Tsubaki, in Japanese) from the motif that adorns its kimono: camellia flowers in red and white.  

The camellia is the quintessential winter flower.

This flower, when it dies down, falls whole from the stem, instead of losing its petals little by little. Because of this, it has been regarded as a symbol of the union of a couple until after death. The sepals are said to represent the man, and the petals the woman.

For the samurai, camellias were considered to be flowers of bad fortune, since the flower, falling whole from the stem, evoked in their minds the fall of heads severed by a katana on the battlefield.

The lines of the kimono, the motif and the signature of the craftsman have been drawn using the pyrography technique, which gives texture to the surface of the wood. 

• Origin: Japón
• Heigth (cm): 13cm
• Material: Mizuki Wood (head), Chestnut wood (body)

Avoid exposing your kokeshi to the direct solar radiation, to prevent colors from fading.