Front view of a 4.5cm Daruma Ejiko kokeshi doll by Kakizawa Kokeshi Studio, showing a low rounded body painted in red with a hand-painted Daruma face featuring bold brows, resolute eyes, and white beard, topped with a small rounded head with black fringe detail.

Kakizawa Daruma Ejiko Kokeshi Doll

Name: Kakizawa Daruma Ejiko Kokeshi Doll
Brand: Kakizawa Kokeshi Studio
SKU: kzk080030303
Price: 64.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$64.00

The ejiko form originates in a practical act: farmers in Tohoku would place young children in woven straw baskets at the edge of the fields while they worked, keeping the infants close and contained. Kokeshi makers in the Naruko tradition translated that image into wood — a low, round body wide enough to suggest the basket, a small head rising from the top. Kakizawa Kokeshi Studio's version of the ejiko carries a Daruma face across the body: the broad brow, the resolute eyes, the white beard rendered in careful brushwork against the red ground. Daruma, representing perseverance and the return from setbacks, shares something with the ejiko's original premise — both figures are rooted, stable, impossible to topple. The piece holds two layers of Japanese folk tradition in the space of a palm. Each is made by hand in Naruko Onsen, lathe-turned and painted by Kakizawa Yoshinobu.

Details

Size: W 1.8in x L 1.8in x H 2.4in / W 4.5cm x L 4.5cm x H 6cm
Material: Japanese Dogwood

Care & Use

Display away from direct sunlight to prevent fading of the painted surface
Keep away from high humidity and moisture to avoid warping or cracking of the wood
Wipe with a soft, dry cloth only; do not use water, chemical cleaners, or abrasive materials
Do not expose to extreme temperature changes
Handle with care; the painted finish is delicate and can chip if dropped or knocked
Intended for decorative display only; not a toy
May include small parts or accessories; keep out of reach of young children to avoid choking hazard
Do not place in direct contact with other lacquered or painted surfaces for extended periods, as pigments may transfer

Check our tips for Care Information.

Kakizawa Daruma Ejiko Kokeshi Doll

$64.00

Meet the Artisan

Kakizawa Kokeshi Studio

Kakizawa Kokeshi was established in 1970 in Kamiyanno, Naruko Onsen, where the shop and workshop stand on opposite sides of the same road, the lathe and the storefront kept deliberately close. The studio was built around Kakizawa Koretaka, a maker of exceptional standing who held the designation of Traditional Craft Artisan and accumulated over 70 competition awards across his career, among them more than 20 ministerial prizes including recognition from the Prime Minister's Office, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. That record reflected a sustained commitment to Naruko's regional conventions, particularly the large chrysanthemum motifs the studio is known for, rendered with the exactness the style demands. Koretaka passed away in June 2016. The studio continues under Kakizawa Mariko and Kakizawa Yoshinobu, who was born in 1974, trained under Koretaka after finishing high school in 1993, and has since earned his own awards at national competitions. Surrounded by the forests and seasonal rhythms of the Naruko mountains, the studio makes kokeshi intended to stand quietly beside the moments that matter: a birth, a milestone, a day when someone needed something to hold on to.