A Yajirō-style kokeshi by Bunichi Kamata exudes a warm, rustic character that reflects the heart of traditional Miyagi craftsmanship. The doll’s full, rounded head features a serene, smiling expression with distinctive side-parted bangs and sharply defined side hair, accented with soft red highlights on the cheeks and crown. Her lively, engaging eyes and slightly upturned mouth evoke a playful, youthful spirit.
The body showcases an eye-catching floral pattern executed in bold reds and deep greens, arranged in stacked layers along the cylindrical form. The balance and rhythm of this motif is both vibrant and classic, with careful brushwork that is confident yet grounded in the humble charm of folk artistry. A red collar band at the base of the neck adds contrast and completes the traditional silhouette associated with the Yajirō lineage.
Bunichi Kamata was born on August 28, 1900, in Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, into a family of silk merchants. He began his apprenticeship in woodworking at the age of 15 under Sato Kannai, a master craftsman in the Yajirō tradition. He later trained at a prefecture-sponsored workshop and apprenticed with several major figures of the time, including Sakada Eiri in Togatta, where he deepened his skills in both kokeshi and toy making.
Over the decades, Kamata built an enduring legacy of stable, stylistically consistent kokeshi production. His work reflects a harmonious blend of Yajirō and Shimonohara influences, notably that of Watanabe Kojiro, under whom he worked during the early 1920s. He set up his own studio in Shiroishi City in 1923 and began instructing others—including his son Koichi and nephew Kokubu Eiichi—passing down his techniques to future generations.
Size: 7 x 7 x 24cm
