Shoji Sakurai 桜井昭二 born on January 1, 1927, as the eldest son of Sakurai Mannojo and Kou, woodworkers in Naruko. During his prewar school days, from the age of 14 or 15, he learned how to paint kokeshi dolls from his mother Kou. Shoji's existence had already been introduced in the magazine Kou. His pupils included Igarashi Isamu, Yusa Yasuo, Onuma Koichi and Yoshida Katsunori. His eldest son Akihiro also began training in wood carving in 1972. Even in his later years, he actively participated in the National Kokeshi Festival held every year in Naruko, continuing to enter works in the competition, and even gave a demonstration on the foot-operated potter's wheel at the festival six months before his death. His contributions in building and supporting the foundations of Naruko in the postwar period were great. He passed away on March 27, 2011, shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake. He was 85 years old.
Size: 21 cm tall
