*SHIPPING OPTIONS VARY DEPENDING ON THE DESTINATION, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR MORE DETAILS.

This listing is for a pair of vintage ‘nemari’ sitting dolls made around 20-30 years ago by Sugawara Kunimi.  They are made of dogwood and depict two children sitting seiza style.  Seiza refers to a formal style that involves sitting with your legs folded and back straight.  This pair is made according to the Naruko tradition in Miyagi.  The signature of the artist can be found on the bottom.  The price is for both dolls.

Sugawara Kunimi (1948-2003) was a female kokeshi artist from Miyagi in Tohoku.  She hailed from a family of woodworkers, however they did not make kokeshi dolls until her father’s generation.  Her father, Sugawara Shunji, began studying kokeshi making under Okazaki Hitoshi.  In 1967 she married Kano Wahei (b.1945) and he was adopted into the Sugawara family, taking the name Sugawara Wahei. Wahei trained in woodwork, but since the Sugawara family's workshop mainly produced new types of kokeshi dolls and other woodwork products, Wahei also received instruction in traditional kokeshi doll making from Okazaki Hitoshi.  Kunimi mainly studied from Wahei, and their eldest son also became a kokeshi maker.    **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

Wooden kokeshi dolls are a kind of traditional folk art which originated in Tohoku. Most are brightly-coloured and feature a cylindrical body and perfectly round head. Decorations on newer kokeshi tend to have a coat of lacquer over the top, whilst the older variety’s paintwork tends to be applied on the top of the clear lacquer. Therefore it is possible to smudge or wipe off the paintwork on the older type so take care when cleaning them and use a dry cloth.                                                                                         

Size

H.17cm (6.6”) x 9.8cm (3.8”) across at the widest point                                                         

Condition

The red kokeshi has minor surface wear (light scratches on face, black is ‘cloudy’, red water stain on bottom).  The black one has some light wear, and the black part has some ‘cloudiness’.                                                                                                                            

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA:  EMS Express (approx. 7-15 days).  Combined shipping available (please send us a message) but please note that the price does not get cheaper for Airmail or EMS, in fact it becomes more expensive.  If you want to save money and don't mind a very long 3 month wait, request sea mail (11-12 weeks depending on processing and backlogs at destination ports). Inexpensive Airmail Small Packet option unavailable.

**UK and Canada:  EMS Express (approx. 7-15 days).  Combined shipping available (please send us a message) but please note that the price does not get cheaper for EMS, in fact it becomes more expensive.  If you want to save money and don't mind a very long 3 month wait, request sea mail (11-12 weeks depending on processing and backlogs at destination ports). Inexpensive Airmail Small Packet and regular Airmail is currently unavailable.

**Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway: Airmail ePacket (approx. 15-28 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail ePacket (please send us a message).

**Asia:  Airmail ePacket (approx. 15-21 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail ePacket (please send us a message).

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.