Vintage Stone Kokeshi from 1970s with the original paper and paper box.
Ishikokeshi is one of the folk crafts of Hino Town. It is a cute kokeshi doll painted with paint on natural pebbles. The creator of Hino Town's stone kokeshi was the late Higuchi Enseki (real name Kisuke) from Nara Prefecture. Around 1957 (Showa 32), about half a century ago, he fell ill in Hino while traveling and was hospitalized at the old Hino Hospital (then in Neu, Hino Town).
One day while hospitalized, he saw two pebbles stacked on top of each other on the bank of the Hino River that flows near the hospital, and he had the idea that "if I paint a face on the upper pebble and a kimono on the lower large stone, it will make a cute stone doll," and then the stone kokeshi was born. The introduction paper shows the placement method: place the head forward or backward to create pregnant women, lovers or rich people. Very detailed hand painting and playful work.
