vintage kokeshi

VINTAGE AINU STYLE KOKESHI MAILER DOLL

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Vintage Ainu-Style Kokeshi Mailer Doll with Hidden Note – 12cm, 1950s Japan

This rare 12cm Kokeshi mailer doll represents the Ainu people, the Indigenous inhabitants of northern Japan. With distinctive design elements reflecting Ainu dress and motifs, this hand-painted wooden doll offers both cultural charm and historical intrigue.

Crafted in the 1950s, this piece is part of a tradition of post-war Japanese “Kokeshi mailers” — hollow wooden dolls that carried handwritten messages. Travelers would often send these instead of postcards, wrapping them simply in paper and string. This one still holds its original message, carefully rolled inside and revealed by unscrewing the base (see image detail).

The doll is made from a single piece of wood and features a clean, minimalistic style with painted details in rich earthy tones. Its upright posture and expression are characteristic of traditional Kokeshi, while the clothing design nods respectfully to Ainu cultural patterns.

A beautiful and meaningful piece for collectors of Japanese folk art, ephemera, or anyone drawn to objects with layered histories and hidden messages.

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