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 The basket closes into a dome, and the head rests directly upon it – as if the child had withdrawn entirely into its shell.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, green and orange alternating below, red and green again towards the base, each separated by fine pale lines. 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, green, and orange
Kokeshi head: black hair cap, short fringe, narrow eyes
Top: fine red Rokuro-Moyo circles
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.
