*This article was posted on September 7, 2022.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Nakanosawa Kokeshi.
At the Nishida Memorial Hall, an exhibition commemorating it is being held from August 2 to November 30, 2022.
Nishida Memorial Hall
3-183 Yokotsuka Arai, Fukushima City
TEL 024-593-0639
http://nishidakinenkan.or.jp
Nakanosawa Kokeshi, which was created by Zenkichi Iwamoto (1877-1934), is commonly called "Takobozu". At this exhibition, you can see valuable original Zenkichi kokeshi dolls.
It is said that Zenkichi was good at dancing and his upside-down dance was really famous in the hot spring town. The kokeshi face drawn by Zenkichi is said to be originated from the face of the mask he used when dancing because they look very similar.
His son Yoshizo Iwamoto(1912−1973) was taught by his father Zenkichi not to imitate others, so he made his own kokeshi dolls.
However, after Zenkichi's death, Yoshizo restored Zenkichi-type kokeshi dolls to meet a request. He trained many disciples and contributed greatly to the subsequent development of Nakanosawa Kokeshi.
The exhibition displays many works of currently active kokeshi craftsmen so that you can learn about the history of Nakanosawa Kokeshi.
The museum also has a shop where you can purchase kokeshi dolls. Don't forget to check it out.
There is also a delicious pizzeria in front of the museum.
If you are hungry, please stop by. It's so delicious.
St. Hills Pizza
3-182 Arai Yokotsuka, Fukushima City
TEL 024-593-0454
https://anna-g.com/shop-hills_pizza.html
A festival commemorating the 100th anniversary of Nakanosawa Kokeshi dolls will also be held in Nakanosawa Onsen.
I'm quite sure that Nakanosawa Kokeshi will become even more popular.
Nakanosawa Kokeshi Website
https://nakanosawa-kokeshi.jp