Symbols of Spring and Rebirth

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Spring internationally is a season rich in traditional festivals and traditions. In lands where there are four distinct seasons and Winters are harsh, celebrations of the rebirth of life characterise the Festivals. Although cheap plastic charms and figures are popular now, one still can find folk art expressions of the symbols of Spring.

Wood always was one of the most commonly used materials for carvings throughout the ages. Bone is another, but wood has more of a connection with rebirth and the energy of life. Furthermore, in lands where trees are plentiful, it generally was a more inexpensive medium than others.

Wood carvings can be primitive or sophisticated, elegant or primal. They can reflect any style of art and any cultural artistic traditions. In the West, wood now has become a rather expensive medium and folk arts that once would have been affordable sometimes are extremely costly. This trend is reflected internationally as artists who export their wares or sell to tourists respond to shifting values.

The internet has created an amazing revolution in almost every aspect of life. In the area of folk art, the ability of some one who lives in a fairly inaccessible part of the globe to be able to offer and sell his/her wares to consumers throughout the world is one of the more positive effects of internet communications. Every strata of producer of these goods takes advantage of this new technology obviously, and cheap inferior goods are sold as often as masterpieces. Nonetheless, for the discerning collector, it is possible to research and discover wonderful artists throughout the world.

Even when the products are not masterpieces, however, there is a certain magic in authenticity, especially when the items are part of a living tradition. For example, one year, I was able to buy some handmade wooden eggs and candlesticks from the Ukraine. All the items I purchased were part of the Ukrainian traditions of Easter and thus, to me, rather magical.

Objects carved from wood are far more than the symbols they represent. They actually ARE connected to the trees that provided the material. Every land has its own native trees and one therefore an integral part of some one's native landscape is imported with the object. The birch trees of the Ukraine now reside in my home, side by side with Kokeshi from Japan and Matrioshka from Russia.

Matrioshka, like Kokeshi, have developed significantly in the last century as far as subject matter is concerned. I always prefer Matrioshka painted with scenes from old Russian fairytales and folktales to the modern political figures from various governments, including the U.S. and Soviet Union heads of state. I do have a set of Matrioshka on which characters from the Lord of the Rings have been depicted that I prize. Among other things, I have a set of runes carved from a Rowan tree and a Madonna and Child carved from Oak. I have walking sticks carved from ash, blackthorn, maple, cherry and apple. From Palestine, I have a reproduction of the Mosque of Al-Aqsa carved from Olive wood.

I have included photographs of wooden objects from Japan, Russia and the Ukraine as well as the first Crocus of Spring that appeared in the garden.

In the tiny garden here, I planted birch, oak, ash, rowan and spruce. The owner of the house was not altogether pleased by this but I do believe that trees contain their own unique energies, as well as being incredibly beautiful. In the heart of this area of urban blight, they provide a little privacy as well as protection from the elements.

Hina-matsuri and Kokeshi Dolls in Japan

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Each year, I have written a post about the Japanese Hina-matsuri Festival that occurs on the 3rd day of March and have included photographs of some of the magnificent Hina displays.

The Hina-matsuri which is a Doll Festival dedicated to good fortune for Girls is known as the Momo-No-Sekku or Peach Blossom Festival as well. Peach blossoms, white rice wine and Hishi-Mochi (special rice cakes) are placed on the stand where the Hina dolls are displayed.

The Hina dolls traditionally are displayed on shelf tiers covered with a red carpet from the end of February until 3 March. When a girl is born, she often will be given a set of Hina dolls by her grandparents or parents, unless she will inherit the Hina dolls that have belonged to her family for generations.

Hina dolls traditionally represent the Emperor and Empress as well as their court. The custom was established during the Edo period in the 17th-18th century and is believed to have its roots in an ancient Chinese ritual wherein paper dolls were floated down a river to banish any evil or illness from the body.

This year, as the Hina-Matsuri Festival occurred a week ago, I decided to write about Kokeshi dolls instead.

Kokeshi Dolls are a traditional form of Japanese folk art but not as old as the Hina doll tradition. They were created originally in the Tohoku region of northern Japan in the early 19th century and sold as toys or souvenirs to visitors of the famed hot springs or onsen of the region. Wooden dolls in general, however, represent a very ancient art form with spiritual significance. In ancient Egypt, wooden or clay figures known as ushabti were buried in tombs, believed to act as servants of the dead. Wooden dolls have been found in Japan from the Yayoi period, circa 300 B.C., demonstrating that carving human figures from wood was an ancient universal practice.
In some cases, these carvings represented figures of deities but in others they were votives offered to the gods with a wish for health or feritility.

Kokeshi dolls are carved traditionally either from cherry wood or a lighter wood named Mizuki. Mizuki translated is 'water tree' and is a moist wood believed to have the power to avert fire. Kokeshi dolls carved from mizuki wood often were kept in homes to protect those houses from fire.

the most traditional Kokeshi dolls are produced only in the six prefectures of Tohoku. They have round heads and cylindrical bodies. Floral and linear patterns to decorate their kimonos were passed down from generation to generation by Kokeshi makers and therefore instantly would provide the viewer with details as to the provenance of the Kokeshi.

Since the Second World War, however, a new Kokeshi tradition, known as 'Creative Kokeshi' developed and inspired a rich variety of wooden Kokeshi dolls. Although they retain the essential limbless form of traditional Kokeshi, they have emerged as highly individual, with carved hair, ornments and even added accoutrements such as umbrellas. Patterns of richly decorated kimonos often are incised into the wood and hair ornaments are common to these dolls. Some Kokeshi have been carved as a group scene, representing the 'spirit' of oysters or clams, for example.

Creative Kokeshi tend to be made in the Gunma prefecture and are created by artists who each have their own style and features. Now an established tradition for over half a century, individual artists famed for their Creative Kokeshi have set their own trends in this style of folk art.

Kokeshi dolls are part of my own childhood memories. I had an elderly great-aunt who had traveled extensively throughout Asia when she was a young woman. She was quite adventurous for her time and brought home many wonderful souvenirs for her three sisters, all of whom cherished these items but who never visited Asia themselves. I am not certain that the Kokeshi of my childhood actually came from this great-aunt but I do recall them vividly. My sister and I incorporated dolls and stuffed animals from many different parts of the globe in our miniature world and the Kokeshi dolls were involved in our doll palaces and townhouses in some capacity.

In some ways, the game Animal Crossing reminds me of my own childhood with its international treasures and toys. Matrioshka from Russia, tiny bisque dolls and cloth dolls from Germany as well as the Kokeshi all resided in or visited my childhood dollhouses.

The photograph at the top of this article shows a traditional Hina-Matsuri display of Emperor and Empress dolls. Below that, the photographs show Creative Kokeshi by Japanese artists Fujikawa Syoei, Okamoto Usaburo and Ogata Ritsuko, the widow of Ogata Michinori, a traditional Naruto Kokeshi artist.

The 'themes' of these Kokeshi are nature-inspired and the dolls have been given names that are evocative of a mood, season or flower. A very popular symbol is that of the 'Camellia' flower and you will see a Camellia Kokeshi named 'Hontsubaki' or 'Red Camellia' next to a photograph of the actual blossom. Other themes shown here are 'Passage' signifying the beauty experienced through travel, 'Omoi' or 'Desire' and 'Bakusyu' or 'Summer', a season known for the ripening of the Wheat and Barley to gold.

Ogata Ritsuko, who paints the Kokeshi created by her husband before his death, incorporates clever practical devices in her dolls, such as the ability to hold a letter inside (and even post it!) or a small charm to attach to a cellphone. Another artist has created bridal Kokeshi wearing a kimono that contains a scroll on which a poem or message to bride, groom or honoured guest can be inscribed.

Any art form based upon very simple stylised elements is fascinating. The way that an artist can change the entire mood of the figure by creating the eyes with a single stroke of a brush or by widening them or add richness to a kimono by incising stalks of grain into the actual texture of the painted garment is the basis of the styles that have made Kokeshi a popular collectible.