MUCHIHIDE ABO Kokeshi Doll “Camellia” Tsugaru School Japan Collectible

Thank you for looking. Please visit my other listings of contemporary and antique Japanese art.Buy several and save – please feel free to inquire.Master Rokuchihide (a.k.a. Muchihide) Abo 阿保 六知秀 (1950- ) kokeshi, Tsugaru tradition / Nuruyu strand. Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Signed. Circa the 1980s.A beautiful work by Muchihide Abo, a talented disciple of Zenji Sato and, subsequently, a highly regarded Master kokeshi maker in the Tsugaru Nuruyu tradition. Abo-san stands in direct artistic lineage from the Nuruyu tradition founder Hidetaro Mori, as Zenji Sato was Mori-san's disciple. Abo-san is the recipient of many awards, including the Prime Minister's Award in All-Japan Traditional Kokeshi competition, the highest prize that can be bestowed on a kokeshi artist. Abo-san's works have been highly regarded and sought after among collectors, commanding high prices. If you have a few minutes, I recommend the following short documentary on Youtube: "#107 Masafumi Abo, a traditional Tsugaru-style Kokeshi doll craftsman | Door to Tomorrow by At Home" (it can be found by copy-pasting the title into Youtube search bar and turning on subtitles with automatic translation to English). The documentary shows the process of kokeshi making by Masafumi Abo, Muchihide's son and disciple. In this film you would also be able to see Muchihide Abo himself (he is the older gentleman, whom Masafumi refers to as "the Master").This kokeshi dates back to approximately the 1980s. While in this work one can recognize original influences of Hidetaro Mori and Zenji Sato, it is an excellent example of Abo-san’s highly individual style, particularly visible in the doll’s facial expression and eye shape, body proportions, and painting technique.Height: 9.6 inches Weight: 0.7 lbs (276 g) Muchihide AboMuchihide Abo was born on April 14, 1950 in Kuroishi, Aomori Prefecture. In 1965, when he was in the third year at Toei Junior High School in Kuroishi, he joined a kokeshi club at his school which was led by Zenji Sato, the enthusiastic young kokeshi Master and disciple of the famous Hidetaro Mori (the founder of Nukuyu kokeshi strand within the Tsuchiu tradition). After graduating from junior high in 1966, Muchihide started apprenticeship with Zenji Sato and trained in woodworking for six years, until 1972. Upon completing the apprenticeship, he continued to work at Sato’s workshop, commuting to work there until the spring of 1977.Muchihide had the opportunity to train in several kokeshi styles and later developed his own styles. His early kokeshi dolls were strongly influenced by Zenji and had a rustic taste, but the style of his later kokeshi became more refined. In addition to working on various revivals of pre-war kokeshi styles – particularly, the Kobei, Itaro, and Fukutaro styles – he also produced his own style kokeshi dolls with large black eyes. In 1979, Muchihide got married and opened his own business Abo Kokeshiya. Initially, he sold kokeshi through nearby inns, as well as inns around the cities of Hirosaki and Aomori. He soon began making dolls to order for opening celebrations and other occasions. As Muchihide’s works became increasingly recognized and sought after by collectors, he opened his own store, and his kokeshi could be found in dealers’ shops and commanded high prices. Muchihide’s disciples include his younger brother Kanemitsu and his eldest son Masafumi. Kanemitsu used to be a carpenter, but after being injured in an accident at a construction site, he began helping Muchihide and opened his own business around 2003.In recent years, recognized as an important kokeshi Master, Abo-san was an invited participant in various cultural events. For example, held a talk event and painting demonstration at the Koenji Festival event in Tokyo in November 2011, as well as a demonstration and sale at the Togenuki Jizo Koganji Temple in Sugamo, Tokyo in June and November 2012.Abo-san still runs Abo Kokeshiya shop, and together with his son Masafumi, makes kokeshi dolls. Tsugaru School of KokeshiThe youngest of the ten traditional kokeshi schools, Tsugaru tradition originated in the Aomori Prefecture in the region of the same name. These kokeshi were originally fabricated by Hidetaro Mori, a talented kokeshi artist at Nuruyu ("lukewarm") Onsen, in the city of Kuroishi, and are sometimes referred to as Nuruyu dolls. Dolls that have round chests, thin waists, and cone-shaped lower bodies on which human faces are painted will strike you as quite unusual and interesting. The hair is painted solid black, with brush strokes visible on the edges of the bangs and hair. One of the distinguishing features of these dolls is that they often have hair in a bob or a chignon (topknot), without much decoration on the head. Body decoration as flowers, usually White Iris, Peony, or Camellia, looking quite realistic, or Daruma are seen most frequently, along with rokuro moyo stripes at the top, center, or bottom of the doll. As the Tsugaru style evolved, encouraged by the wild success of its leading artists with collectors, it has yielded a great deal of variety in the shape and pattern of the doll. For shipping outside the United States, please inquire.K477