KOKESHI ATLAS
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Process

How Kokeshi Are Made

The steps below follow the sequence the Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry publishes for Miyagi traditional kokeshi. Other groups and individual makers can differ in tools and order.

Last reviewed

Short answer

Kokeshi are made from naturally dried wood that is cut, turned on a lathe into a head and a body, smoothed, joined, painted by hand and finished with wax. Miyagi Prefecture names mizuki (dogwood), itaya maple and urihada maple among the woods used. In Naruko, the Government of Japan notes, one person carries out every step, so no two kokeshi are alike.

Making process

  1. 01

    Drying the wood

    The bark is peeled and the logs are left to dry naturally for six months to a year. Miyagi Prefecture names mizuki (dogwood), itaya maple and urihada maple among the woods used.

  2. 02

    Cutting to length

    The dried logs are cut to the sizes needed for the piece.

  3. 03

    Removing excess wood

    Unneeded parts are cut away to leave blocks for the head and body.

  4. 04

    Turning the head and body

    On a spinning lathe the maker shapes the head and the body with a turning plane (kanna). The official standards specify a horizontal lathe for Naruko and a vertical lathe for Tōgatta, Yajirō and Sakunami.

  5. 05

    Polishing

    The turned surfaces are smoothed with sandpaper or scouring rush (tokusa).

  6. 06

    Joining head and body

    The head and body are driven together by insertion (sashikomi) or fitting (hamekomi). For Naruko kokeshi the Government of Japan describes a hole cut in the body for the neck, with the head attached by friction while the lathe turns.

  7. 07

    Painting by hand

    The face and the body patterns are painted. A Naruko maker quoted by the Government of Japan paints the eyes and eyebrows first and says they decide whether a piece turns out well.

  8. 08

    Finishing with wax

    A coat of wax completes the kokeshi.

Evidence

Sources and further reading

  1. official
    Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi and the Eleven Tohoku Groups

    Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry

    View source (opens in a new tab)Accessed 2026-08-31The official endpoint blocks some automated and overseas-network requests; its current indexed record was rechecked on 2026-09-06.
  2. official
    The Kokeshi Dolls of Tohoku

    Government of Japan · 2022-03

    View source (opens in a new tab)Accessed 2026-09-06The official endpoint blocks some automated and overseas-network requests; its current indexed article was rechecked on 2026-09-06.
  3. official
    Miyagi Traditional Crafts — Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi

    Miyagi Prefectural Government · 2025-08-14

    View source (opens in a new tab)Accessed 2026-08-31
  4. official
    Do You Know the Mark of Tradition?

    Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry

    View source (opens in a new tab)Accessed 2026-08-28The official PDF endpoint blocks some automated and overseas-network requests; its current indexed record was rechecked on 2026-09-06.