#5120 charming, Japanese Kokeshi doll

3.5” bobble head, no chips or cracks. Japanese wooden kokeshi-style doll, likely a small sōsaku/creative kokeshi souvenir or folk-art piece. The round head, simple painted face, cylindrical body, no arms/legs, and hand-painted kimono all fit kokeshi design. Kokeshi dolls are Japanese wooden dolls traditionally made with simple head/body forms and painted features, often with the maker’s signature on the back or base.   The writing appears to say: 秋ちかづく Aki chikazuku “Autumn is approaching” or “Autumn draws near.” The large character is: 楓 Kaede “Maple.” The smaller cursive writing around it looks like し初めて / しそめて, meaning something like “beginning to colour/change.” So the overall phrase is probably meant poetically as: “The maples begin to colour, and autumn approaches.” As for who made it, I don’t see a clear maker’s signature or stamp on the bottom in your photos. That matters because kokeshi makers often sign the base or back. Without a readable signature, I wouldn’t confidently attribute it to a specific artist. It does resemble the general style of modern/creative kokeshi, and Usaburo Kokeshi is one well-known modern producer from Gunma, but yours is not enough of an exact match to call it Usaburo for sure. Usaburo is known for modern seasonal kokeshi designs, including maple/autumn motifs.     My best read: Japanese handmade or workshop-made kokeshi souvenir, autumn/maple theme, likely mid-to-late 20th century or newer. Not likely a super old antique, but it’s a cool little folk-art piece.

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• Listed Jun 11, 2026