Meaning of kokeshi | Babel Free

Definitions

A Japanese wooden doll with a spherical head having simple painted-on features, and a limbless, cylindrical body, typically featuring a painted-on floral design.

Examples

“I have⟳ a hurried look⟳ round my shelves: the Hawaiian belle of the dusky skin, the little Red Indian dolls from Lake Placid, the rows of kokeshis from Japan, which all bring⟳ back memories of wonderful Rotary friends, all over the world.”

“The popularity of kokeshi among Japanese tourists today is thus an eloquent testimony to the survival of a folk tradition as well as to the modern generation's ignorance of its implications.”

“The addition of decorative clothing a la simple rings of color and the expressive, even suggestive, faces that so many kokeshi wear⟳, turned them from simple children's toys into works of collectible folk art.”

CEFR level