This omiyage kokeshi toothpick holder (爪楊枝入れ) combines the warmth of Japanese wooden folk craft with a playful and practical household function.
Carved from natural wood, the piece takes the form of a cheerful young girl with a rounded head and compact cylindrical body. Her face is delicately hand-painted with smiling eyes, rosy cheeks, and a tiny red mouth, giving the figure a particularly warm and friendly expression.
At the top of the head is a small hollow opening designed to hold toothpicks (爪楊枝, tsumayōji). Decorative toothpick holders such as this were popular everyday objects and souvenirs, transforming a simple table accessory into a charming piece of folk-inspired design.
The combination of a kokeshi figure and a functional tsumayōji-ire (爪楊枝入れ) reflects the imaginative spirit of Shōwa-period omiyage craft, when traditional wooden forms were frequently adapted into useful household objects for travellers to take home as keepsakes.
