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There are several theories surrounding the origins of Kokeshi Dolls. The most common school of thought is that they originated in the Tohoku region of Japan during the Bunka-Bunsei eras (1804 -1829AD) . Some suggest that the dolls were created by lathe-craftsmen who lived a gypsy life in the region's thickly forested mountains and sold them to the visitors who came to visit the hot springs there. Kokeshi were probably made during the long nights of the snow-bound winters from Dogwood, Chestnut, Cherry or Keyaki. Other investigations into the dolls' origins have pointed to the possibility that they were made by peasant farmers from spare pieces of wood and were given as tokens of love and friendship to family and friends. There are now two categories of Kokeshi dolls made in Japan; the traditional dolls from Tohoku which have a cylindrical body and large round heads and the ‘Creative Kokeshi' which originated in towns near Tokyo. There are no restrictions on the design, colour or inspiration of ‘Creative Kokeshi'; each doll is a piece of free expression by its craftsman. 14.50CM TALL
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