The Tibetan Sand Fox looks at you as if it's been waiting — and as if it couldn't care less.
Takatoshi Hayashi has given this animal a form that matches its aura: a handcrafted wooden Kokeshi vehicle, hand-painted, with rolling wheels and concentric circles on the hubs. The fox sits low and wide, gaze half-closed, posture relaxed to the point of indifference. On its back rides a Kokeshi figure with small fox ears – two characters, one energy.
In Japanese culture, the fox is known as Kitsune – yōkai, shapeshifter, messenger of the Shinto kami Inari. Considered highly intelligent and endowed with magical powers, the Kitsune is neither clearly good nor evil: it leads travelers astray and watches over shrines. Both are possible. Often at the same time. Hayashi-san doesn't turn this into a folklore object. He turns it into character.
Takatoshi Hayashi draws on his background in a family kimono business to create a contemporary Kokeshi language of his own. His work reflects textile patterns and traditional design while introducing playful figures, animals and imaginative wooden vehicles.
