Award-winning children's book author Sunny Seki has just released his fourth title, The Little Kokeshi Doll from Fukushima (ISBN 978-0-578-16039-9, $18.95).
Originated in the hot springs of Northern Japan over two hundred years ago, kokeshi are girls with narrow, smooth bodies, round heads, and lightly painted faces and kimono designs. Today they are still sold in hot springs as souvenirs, and they are prized by collectors as typical folk craft masterpieces.
Researchers often say that kokeshi are the root of modern Japanese kawaii culture.
Why did the first craftsmen create them? To answer this and more questions, Seki traveled to the Tohoku region and interviewed carvers in village woodshops.
In Fukushima, one master artisan told Seki that the first carvers did not actually sell these dolls, but rather made them for their daughters. This fact inspired him to connect with a recent natural disaster to create his story, which features Kana-chan - a brave, clever girl who is the daughter of a wood carver.
She works at a hot springs, but one day her village faces a disaster, and because of her the kokeshi doll is born. Seki's story shows the harmony of people, nature, traditional craftsmanship, and survival, and it just might provide the answer to the mystery of the first kokeshi dolls.
Sunny Seki's books are bilingual, with both English and Japanese on the same page, and they all introduce Japanese icons and the folklore that surrounds them.
Seki presents his books at multiple events. Some of these are the Little Tokyo New Year Celebration, Arizona Matsuri, Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival, Riverside Lunar Festival, Japanese-American National Museum, and many schools and libraries.
His next presentation and lecture will be at the Los Angeles Nibei Foundation on Jan. 29, and the public is invited. To make a reservation, call (310) 479-6101.
Seki's books are available at all his presentations. They can also be purchased directly from his website, www.sunnyseki.com as well as from Kinokuniya Bookstore in Little Tokyo.
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