Kokeshi doll

The kokeshi is a traditional Japanese wooden doll — cylindrical body, spherical head, simple painted features — originally crafted in the Tohoku region as a folk toy and souvenir. Kawano renders the doll with the affection and seriousness he brought to all objects carrying folk meaning, its simple form translated into the graphic language of the woodblock with perfect economy. Kokeshi had become popular collectibles and symbols of Japanese folk craft in the postwar period, and Kawano's depiction honors this dimension of their cultural significance.