Visit a factory

Creation Kokeshi
Japanese traditional doll

ＵｓａｂｕｒｏＫｏｋｅｓｈｉ

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Visit a factory (Free)

RokuroCraftsman's skill can be visited for study.
A guide shows a factory to the guest of the group.

(1) Bark removal

(2) Sawing

(3)Pressing

We cut down cherry and Japanese dogwood trees during winter and take the bark off of the wood. Then it is dried in the sun for six to twelve months after which we start to work on it. The wood from chestnut and zelkova trees has such thick bark that it is forced to dry inside. Those trees are from the northern part of Gunma, 150 kilometers north of Tokyo.

The dried wood is cut into the length of a kokeshi doll. At the same time, we remove cracks and knots from the log.

We press the wood into a smaler cylinder. The center is compressed and the outer part is cut off. Then we can easily work on it.

(4) Working with a plane

(5) Working with a lathe

(6) Polishing

The cylinder from the previous process is worked with the above plane machine. It will turn the cylinder into the rough size of the doll.

The semi-complete doll is next worked on with a lathe, adding detail to the doll. The skills for using a lathe need a lot of experience. There are not so many craftsworkers with these skills.

We polish the head and body parts from the previous process with three different kinds of sandpaper. The sophistication of the doll depends on this polishing work. Preciseness is critical.

(7) Making a design

(8) Final process

(9) Prefabricated

After polishing, we carve a design in the head and body parts, draw pictures and patterns on them and color them. A heated Nichrome wire is used for drawing work, which is our original technique for adding detail to the doll.

After going through the processes above, we give every part of the doll two coatings with a base paint. Then we polish them again with sandpaper. Finally all parts are painted with lacquer.

The head and the body are assembled.

PROCESS OF MAKING KOKESHI

We usually use Mizuki of Mizuki department to make kokeshi dolls.The bark of Mizuki ｉｓ white and its grain is fine. These characteristics are quite suitable for making the beautiful features of kokeshi dolls and for coloring them. When we need whiter color, we blanch the wood. White kokeshi dolls are made of this kind of wood. We use cherry trees, keyaki trees and chestnut trees as well.
At first we take the bark off the wood and dry the wood in the sun for six to twelve months before working on it. We saw and plane the dried wood, and then adjust it with an edged tool.
After whittling the wood into a rough size with a plane and a lathe, we polish it carefully with sandpaper. Polishing is a very important part of making beautiful kokeshi dolls. It takes a lot of experience to gain a fine command of the lathe. A good sense of balance of shape and a high degree or skill are also esssential to make good kokeshi dolls.
After polishing the wood, we carve a design in it, draw pictures and patterns on it and color it.
It also requｉres a lot of experience and skill to carve the wood, for we do it directly by hand. We draw pictures or patterns with a heated Nichrome wire, which is our original technique for making kokeshi dolls.
We created these kokeshi dolls through the process above.

＊Necessary time for the study tour	From 40 to 50 minutes(Factory and museum study tour)
＊Free parking lot	Space for 30 buses and 100cars.
＊Business hours	8:30AM～4:50PM　(Factory noon recess　12:00～13:00)
＊Annual special holiday	It is closed from December 29 to December 31.