The grain of the wood is doing most of the work here. Tamura Noboru turned this piece of keyaki so the annual rings wrap around the body in concentric arcs, one layer visible through the next, the whole surface reading as landscape rather than material. The leaf motifs painted on the body sit inside that grain rather than over it. The burnt stripes at the collar, head and base mark the transitions the way a line drawing marks a contour.

Tamura Noboru is one of the most recognised names in sōsaku kokeshi, the tradition of creative artist-made kokeshi that emerged in the mid-twentieth century as makers began working outside the strict regional styles. He received multiple awards across his career, including the Prime Minister Award, Japan's highest recognition in traditional craft.

Noboru works from Studio Tamura Kogei, a creative kokeshi studio in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture. The same studio is also home to female kokeshi maker Tamura Chie, whose work under the name Chiei Saku has its own devoted following among collectors. I have kokeshi from her as well, you’ll find it under this page among the related items.