This time, I will describe the memories of the Yajiro Kokeshi Festival and the Togatta Kokeshi Festival held in 2022.
Last year, in 2023, I couldn’t attend the festivals because my daughter had a sports day.
The two festival venues are a 20-minute drive apart. So, most participants usually hop between the festivals to enjoy both.
You have to decide whether to go to Yajiro or Togatta first.
In 2022, I decided to go to the Yajiro Kokeshi Festival first because there was a kokeshi sale by the popular kokeshi craftsman Yasuhiro Sato!
The battle begins the day before the festival. The kokeshi sale event involves the familiar act of lining up chairs. If you don’t understand the meaning, read past articles.
Past Article: All Japan Kokeshi Festival Part.1
On the day of the festival, you can purchase kokeshi in the order of the chairs lined up. This time, I had the opportunity to preview the kokeshi that would be sold. Since it’s first come, first served, and there are limits to the number of purchases, it’s best to preview and choose your items.
There’s a crowd around Yasuhiro Sato!
He gladly poses for photos, and he has a very friendly personality.
I couldn’t buy all the kokeshi, but I could take photos.
Some rare items that are hard to come by are also included. Let’s enjoy just looking at the photos.
That’s what I’m doing.
In addition to Yasuhiro Sato, three other kokeshi craftsmen were invited to the festival, and all four gave speeches at the opening ceremony.
There are also sales of Yajiro-style kokeshi by kokeshi craftsmen.
Shows and raffles were also held on stage, but since I had purchased kokeshi, I decided to move on to Togatta.
The venue for the Togatta Kokeshi Festival is the Zao Kokeshi Hall.
There were demonstrations and sales of kokeshi made by invited kokeshi craftsmen.
There was also a second-hand kokeshi auction.
Many second-hand kokeshi were lined up. Auction participants fill out bidding forms with their bid prices and submit them. The person who bid the highest amount will be contacted later, and the kokeshi will be delivered to their home.
A kokeshi memorial service was also held to offer kokeshi dolls that were no longer needed.
There are also valuable old kokeshi on display at the Zao Kokeshi Hall, so those are also worth seeing.
Please enjoy these festivals as well!
Official Website
Yajiro Kokeshi Village
Miyagi Zao Kokeshi Hall