Today, I’d like to share a report on Tadao Watanabe’s kokeshi doll sale.
Tadao Watanabe is an artisan of the Tsuchiyu style kokeshi, and his kokeshi dolls with top hats are particularly famous. These dolls are extremely popular and highly sought after. Many people are looking for them.
They are truly very rare.
Even living in Japan, obtaining one is extremely difficult. The number of dolls made is limited, there are many people who want them, and few who are willing to part with them. They rarely appear on the second-hand market. They are super rare.
So, how can one acquire such a super rare kokeshi doll?
The only way is to participate in the annual sale event held at Tadao Watanabe’s shop. Tadao Watanabe runs a shop called Yamane Aizuya. Although the shop is usually open, the top hat kokeshi dolls are almost never available for purchase. The sale event takes priority. However, sometimes you can find other items like Eijiko dolls for sale, so it’s a good idea to check Yamane Aizuya’s Instagram if you plan to visit.
Each sale event is slightly different, so you have to keep a close eye on Instagram for details. The event is scheduled for the first day of the Tsuchiyu Kokeshi Festival. This time, tickets were distributed around 8:30 AM. Since only about 30 dolls are available, each family gets only one ticket! How merciless. Bringing your spouse won’t help. Oh my!
After getting a ticket, we returned to the Tsuchiyu Kokeshi Festival venue, endured the boring opening ceremony, and bought plenty of kokeshi dolls.
Then we headed back to Tadao’s shop.
This is where the real action begins: the lottery. In the order of the tickets, we drew lots, and the number we drew determined the purchase order.
Stylish Tadao Watanabe
I had a pretty good spot!
I managed to buy the top hat kokeshi I was aiming for – it’s a family treasure now!
So, I’m not planning to sell my top hat kokeshi. My apologies to those who are looking for one. If you really want one, please participate in the sale event.
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