Shoichi Okazaki 岡崎昭一 born on July 16, 1941, as the eldest son of kokeshi craftsman Okazaki Naoshi and Kikuko (registered as Kiku) in Onogawa Onsen, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. His mother Kikuko was the eldest daughter of kokeshi craftsman Okazaki Hisataro. After graduating from high school, he learned woodcarving techniques from his father, Naoshi, from around 1960. He was a prolific artist and did not produce many works. He also worked on the Okazaki Hisataro and Okazaki Eijiro styles, and produced works of a high standard, but it was a great pity that he passed away on September 10, 1995, at the age of 55. He died after being stung by a bee for the second time while working at a company, and suffered anaphylactic shock.
