This Sosaku kokeshi by Yuji Kawase (川瀬祐志) embodies the artist’s warm, understated style and mastery of natural wood expression. The doll features a delightfully rounded head with Kawase’s signature minimalist face, gentle, closed eyes rendered as simple brush strokes and a tiny red mouth that gives the figure a serene, childlike calm. The plum blossoms around the lower portion, a motif symbolizing hope, resilience, and the quiet beauty of early spring.
Yuji Kawase is a postwar Sosaku/Shingata kokeshi artist from Gunma Prefecture, a region well known for both traditional and creative kokeshi production. Born in 1938, Kawase belongs to the second generation of artisans who bridged the gap between classic kokeshi-making and the rising popularity of more contemporary, design-oriented dolls in the 1960s–1980s.
The overall finish—warm, slightly worn, and glowing with decades of patina, gives the piece a nostalgic presence, characteristic of Kawase’s kokeshi, which often blend simplicity with emotional warmth. This doll is a lovely example of his ability to create personality through minimal lines and the natural charm of the materials.
