Galvanized by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the manager of a kimono fabric store in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, began crafting kokeshi dolls in 2014 to promote his hometown, which was devastated by the disaster.
Takatoshi Hayashi, 50, dubbed his creations “Ishinomaki Kokeshi,” through which he hopes to “teach people about Ishinomaki and entice them to visit.”
His unusual kokeshi — simple wooden dolls with no arms or legs — are not confined to traditions.
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