{"id":50043,"date":"2021-08-10T08:37:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T08:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasgc.org\/?p=50043"},"modified":"2021-08-11T14:46:52","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T14:46:52","slug":"conversation-with-naomi-umeki-kokeshi-doll-maker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasgc.org\/ja\/conversation-with-naomi-umeki-kokeshi-doll-maker\/","title":{"rendered":"Live from Japan: A Conversation with Naomi Umeki: Kokeshi Doll Maker"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”DM Serif Display||||||||” title_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size=”50px” meta_font=”Lato||||||||” meta_text_color=”#002072″][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/jasgc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/NaomiUmeki-with-Cat-Doll.jpg” title_text=”NaomiUmeki with Cat Doll” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Quicksand||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px” text_letter_spacing=”1px”]”Live from Japan: A Conversation with Naomi Umeki: Kokeshi Doll Maker” delighted audience members on August 5 via Zoom. Our guest Naomi Umeki was interviewed live from her studio in Japan, where she showed us a large and varied collection of traditional Kokeshi dolls and demonstrated how she paints each doll by hand. <\/p>\n

We learned a great deal about the origin of the dolls and the many differences in styles, including the types of wood used, depending on the region.<\/p>\n

Though many of the dolls in her collection follow traditional styles, she has added some of her own designs, including cat dolls. <\/p>\n

Someone asked: “What is the significance of the red color on so many of the dolls?” Umeki-san explained that red is used on many temples and shrines in Japan for the same reason it is used on Kokeshi dolls — red is a color that scares off evil spirits and encourages good luck.<\/p>\n

Why have Kokeshi dolls remained popular in Japan for so many years? “Partly due the dolls’ simplicity, and their association with good luck,” Umeki-san explained.<\/p>\n

Our audience members asked great questions, and our host and interpreter Teruko Nesbitt did a fabulous job making the event accessible to speakers of English and Japanese. [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Quicksand||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px” text_letter_spacing=”1px” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n\n

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