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 unusual lightness. He works at Kijidokoro Sato, a workshop with over 120 years of history at the heart of the Yajiro region.
The basket is pale, natural Mizuki wood as its ground, the grain softly visible. Across it runs a black plum branch with red blossoms and buds, the stamens finely set in white and black. Ume, the plum blossom, is the first to open in Japan each year – before winter has fully passed. Above and below, dense Rokuro-Moyo bands frame the basket: red, green, and yellow at the rim; yellow, green, violet, and red at the base. Nestled inside sits the Kokeshi figure: a small head, closed eyes in the Fuse-me style, a delicate smile, rosy 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 violet, orange, red, and green, precisely applied. A hallmark of the Yajiro tradition.
- Ejiko-Kokeshi in the Yajiro tradition
- Basket: natural Mizuki wood, Ume motif, multicoloured Rokuro-Moyo bands
- Kokeshi figure: Fuse-me eyes, hand-painted blossom motif, violet Yajiro hair crown
- Body: Rokuro-Moyo spiral bands in red, green, violet, and yellow
- Hand-turned and hand-painted – by Yusuke Sato
- Signed by the artist
Height: approx. 4 cm | Diameter: approx. 4 cm | Wood: Mizuki (Dogwood) | Handcrafted
