On the second floor of the Logan Library in the Makerspace room, seven people and one teacher gathered together to paint traditional wooden Japanese dolls called "kokeshi."
Each participant got a small three inch wooden figure. They then picked a fabric or paint to cover the doll.
“This is beautiful paper that she brought from Japan, and it's sticky on the back, so we're making a kimono," said Linda Nelson.
Nelson came with her daughter and granddaughter.
She decided on a black and white fabric as the base of the kimono and a blue flower fabric for the sash, or obi, in the center.
Her daughter is Mandy Monson. She chose to paint hers instead.
“I love to paint, so it's really fun to just have some time to take a break and come paint," Monson said.
Shino Manabe is a Japanese outreach coordinator in the Cache Valley area. This includes putting together Japanese culture related activities at the library.
She said the word kokeshi (子消し) comes from "ko" (子) meaning child and "o-keshi" (お消し) referring to a traditional hairstyle.
“In Edo period, the Japanese traditional hairstyle at that time was called okeshi. It's just a little hair on the top, and everything else was bold,” Manabe said.
Manabe said that throughout history many different kokeshi doll designs have appeared. Each region in Japan, known as a prefecture, has its own style of kokeshi doll.
Manabe said that kokeshi were first made by the Kijishi in the Tohoku area in northern Japan. She said that the kijishi were traditional wood workers from 200 years ago.
“It had a very traditional common designs back then, but nowadays we have more modern designs, which is super cool,” she said.
Becky Youngberg is also a collector of Japanese dolls. She received a geisha doll from her mother.
“I asked for that when she passed or didn't want it any longer, and have just really had an interest in Japan ever since then,” she said.
Youngberg wants to add the kokeshi doll she is decorating to her collection.
