This petite Tsugaru kokeshi is handcrafted by Akira Kon, a skilled artisan born in 1953 in Kuroishi City, Aomori Prefecture—the heartland of the Tsugaru kokeshi tradition. This doll may be small in stature but carries the hallmark charm and craft of northern Japan’s folk heritage.
The doll features a simple, rounded form and minimalistic yet expressive facial features. Kon’s brushwork brings the face to life with bold eyebrows, wide-set eyes, and a confident gaze. The body is adorned with bright red horizontal banding and stylized petal-like strokes near the base, rendered in a free yet balanced hand—an homage to the traditional floral decorations often seen in Tsugaru kokeshi. The wood is smoothly finished, allowing the natural grain to shine through and giving the doll a warm, tactile presence.
Akira Kon learned his craft from his father Kon Shigeo (今茂雄), a distinguished kokeshi maker who established their family's workshop in Kuroishi. Kon Akira began creating kokeshi seriously in the 1970s, and over time developed a style that is both faithful to the Tsugaru tradition and distinctively his own. His dolls often feature simple yet expressive faces, clean silhouettes, and bold yet balanced decoration. He has participated in national kokeshi competitions and is considered one of the important postwar successors of Tsugaru craftsmanship.
