A Togatta-style kokeshi by master craftsman Sato Sanzo is a rare and precious example of early 20th-century Japanese folk artistry. The doll features a traditional narrow cylindrical body with clean lines and a gentle tapering toward the base. The head is large and softly rounded, painted with a sweet, smiling expression and delicately arched eyebrows. Bold crimson chrysanthemum patterns run vertically down the torso, rendered in a rhythmic composition that captures the elegance of hand-painted brushwork.
This piece is particularly noteworthy for its warm, burnished patina, an effect of decades of age, adding depth and historical richness to its character. It is a fine example of Sanzo’s mature style, created in the later phase of his life during a brief return to kokeshi-making in the 1940s. A collector's gem and a testament to the enduring beauty of traditional craftsmanship.
Sato Sanzo (佐藤三蔵) was born on May 10, 1879, in Tsubonuma, Sendai, and later adopted by a farming family in Akiu Village. At the age of 17, he began his training under Ota Shokichi, a local craftsman who made small kokeshi dolls. After completing his apprenticeship in 1901, Sanzo continued to work as a woodturner in the Ota household, eventually marrying into the family. It wasn’t until the 1940s, at the encouragement of collectors like Fukazawa Kaname and Amae Tomiya, that Sanzo briefly resumed making kokeshi dolls, crafting commemorative pieces rich in nostalgic detail and quiet refinement. He ceased work around the end of World War II and passed away in 1952 at the age of 74, leaving behind a modest but impactful legacy in the Togatta tradition.
