A baby sits in its basket – sheltered, still, almost hidden. The Ejiko form, originally inspired by the wooden carrying baskets in which children in the Tōhoku region were placed during fieldwork, is here reduced to its emotional essence: protection, warmth and security. This Kokeshi variant has long been regarded as an expression of maternal care – and Yusuke Sato carries this tradition forward with its characteristic restraint. The piece is made at Kijidokoro Sato, a workshop with over 120 years of history in the heart of the Yajiro region.
The basket is round and smooth, without painting, without lines – a pink gradient from warm pink at the base to pale natural wood at the opening. The surface speaks through form and colour alone.
Inside sits the Kokeshi figure: a small head, closed eyes in Fuse-me style, a delicate smile and red cheeks. The pink hair crown has a black finish with ornamental blossoms and a hand-painted motif at the side – fine painting on the smallest of formats.
Seen from above, what remains hidden from the front becomes visible: the characteristic Rokuro-Moyo pattern on the crown – concentric circles in red, orange, green and white, turned with precision. A signature feature of the Yajiro tradition.
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.
