A traditional Kijiyama-style kokeshi made by Yuji Takahashi (高橋雄司, 1934–), a craftsman from Kawatsura, Akita Prefecture. Born on November 12, 1934, Yuji was the eldest son of the renowned woodturner Takahashi Heijiro. From an early age, he learned woodturning simply by observing his father at work, and by junior high school, he had already developed the skills to contribute to the family’s craft.
After completing his education in 1950, Takahashi began full-time work in the woodcarving industry, focusing on turning wooden bases for Kawatsura lacquerware—a regional specialty of Akita—as well as the base wood for kokeshi dolls made by the sosaku kokeshi artist Takano Yohachi. With encouragement from Abe Heishiro, a disciple of his father, Yuji began producing kokeshi dolls himself around 1963, right at the height of the postwar kokeshi revival.
This doll features Takahashi’s hallmark understated expression and delicate red-striped kimono, painted in soft pigments with elegant restraint. The brushwork and form carry on the minimalist but expressive style of the Kijiyama tradition, handed down from his father Heijiro.
While his son, Takahashi Hideo, began making kokeshi around 1984 as his intended successor, he eventually left the craft. As a result, Yuji Takahashi’s works represent a closing chapter of a distinguished kokeshi lineage rooted in Kawatsura’s woodturning legacy.
Size: 3 x 3 x 15cm
