This listing is for a pair of vintage Japanese kokeshi dolls.  These are traditional wooden dolls dating back to the late Edo period (early 1800s). Originally made as toys and souvenirs for visitors, they symbolize protection and good luck but have also become valued souvenirs representing visited temples and villages. 

A charming pair of hand-painted wooden kokeshi, featuring rounded heads and bodies decorated with bright colors and traditional patterns. The figures wear black caps - one includes a piece cloth decorated with cherry blossoms and circular floral hat. The other one may have had something similar attached but lost it somewhere in their travels. This set has obvious signs of wear and fading, but still quite collectible! Perhaps another artist can craft a hat in replacement of the missing piece.

2" x 1" - Extra Small Size

Kokeshi are often a simple cylindrical body, a round head that sometimes bobbles and a painted face or carved patterns with a serene expression. There are two styles - traditional (dento) and creative (shingata) which emerged after WWII to show more freedom in design, color, and themes. Click here to learn more about this wonderful Japanese folk art.