Vintage kokeshi doll featuring a painted silhouette of two figures set against a seascape. Calligraphic characters adorn the body.

Kokeshi, often translated as 'poppy-seed child,' are elegantly minimalist wooden dolls that exemplify the harmony between simplicity of form and depth of cultural meaning. Characterized by their cylindrical, limbless bodies, enlarged rounded heads, and delicately hand-painted features, these lathe-turned figures originated in Japan’s northern Tōhoku region during the early 19th century. Initially crafted by local artisans from repurposed wood scraps, kokeshi were made as toys for children and as souvenirs for visitors to the region’s therapeutic hot springs. In some contexts, they also held a more somber function as memorial objects.
Over time, the craft evolved, giving rise to a wide array of regional styles, each reflecting local materials, techniques, and aesthetic sensibilities. Today, kokeshi are broadly categorized into two types: dentō-kokeshi, or traditional forms tied to specific locales and lineages of craftsmanship; and sōsaku-kokeshi, or creative variations made by individual artists, often signed and intended as collectible works of art.