A baby rests in its basket – sheltered, still, fully enclosed. The Ejiko form, originally inspired by the wooden carrying baskets in which children of the Tōhoku region were cradled during fieldwork, is here reduced to its emotional essence: protection, warmth, and a sense of being held. This Kokeshi variant has long been regarded as an expression of maternal care – and Yusuke Sato carries that tradition forward with unusual lightness. He works at Kijidokoro Sato, a workshop with over 120 years of history at the heart of the Yajiro region.
Unlike the open Ejiko, this form has no opening. The basket closes into a dome, and the head rests directly upon it – as if the child had withdrawn entirely into its shell. The body is entirely wrapped in Rokuro-Moyo: broad red at the top, dark indigo and orange alternating at the centre, red again towards the base, each separated by fine pale lines. The palette is cooler and more austere than in the red-and-green variant. Nestled inside sits a little boy: a black hair cap with a pale wooden dot on the crown, short fringe, side locks. Narrow, slightly open eyes, red cheeks, a tiny red mouth. No blossoms, no ornament – only colour, line, and form.
Ejiko-Kokeshi in the Yajiro tradition, closed form
Basket: all-over Rokuro-Moyo bands in red, indigo, and orange
Kokeshi head: black hair cap, short fringe, narrow eyes
Top: fine Rokuro-Moyo circles in indigo
Hand-turned and hand-painted – by Yusuke Sato
Signed by the artist
Height: approx. 6 cm | Diameter: approx. 6 cm | Wood: Mizuki (Dogwood) | Handcrafted
Yusuke Sato works in the Yajiro tradition at the long-established Kijidokoro Sato family workshop. His gradient Kokeshi introduce a distinctive idea into this inherited visual language, characterised by finely layered colours that flow gently from one tone into another.
