A baby rests in its basket – sheltered, still, barely visible. 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 a restraint entirely his own. He works at Kijidokoro Sato, a workshop with over 120 years of history at the heart of the Yajiro region.
The basket is round and smooth – a blue gradation from soft turquoise at the base to pale natural wood at the opening. On the front, a sea otter floats on its back, a pup resting on its belly, held close. Rakko, as the sea otter is called in Japanese: the motif repeats what the Ejiko form itself tells. Nestled inside sits the Kokeshi figure: a small head, closed eyes in the Fuse-me style, a delicate smile, red cheeks. Red plum blossoms along the sides – fine brushwork on the smallest of canvases.
Viewed from above, what remains hidden from the front becomes visible: the characteristic Rokuro-Moyo pattern on the crown – concentric circles in blue, orange, green, and red, precisely applied. A hallmark of the Yajiro tradition.
Ejiko-Kokeshi in the Yajiro tradition
Basket: blue gradation, hand-painted sea otter motif
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.
