Vintage daruma doll, by SATO Ryoko (1939-) | だるまこけし 佐藤良子 | Togatta style 遠刈田系

This is a  vintage daruma kokeshi doll, by SATO Ryoko (1939-) who is aTogatta style kokeshi craftsman.

The kanji on the kokeshi is Fuku 福, which means ‘happiness’ in Japanese.

Daruma dolls are a lucky charm in Japan. The model of the doll is the Chinese Monk Dharma who lost his arms and legs after the ascetic practice in a cave for 9 years. After the story was brought to Japan, the Monk Dharma’s appearance was connected with Japanese tumbler toy doll, which doesn’t have arms and legs. 
The glare of the Daruma doll, we think of as a way to intimidate misfortune and calamity. The Daruma rejects your adversity and bring you good luck.

craftsman: SATO Ryoko (1939-) 佐藤良子
style: Togatta 遠刈田系
She was born in 1939. She moved with her family to China during the second world war. After returning to Miyagi in Japan, she lived in front of a woodworker, SATO Kazuo (1936-), and she married with Kazuo.

She and her husband moved and worked elsewhere. In 1978, because Kazuo’s father, (1909-1981, a Togatta style kokeshi craftsman) became ill, Kazuo resumed woodwork and making kokeshi dolls on weekends. She started painting kokeshi dolls from 1980. In 1985, her family moved to Togatta town, which is the Togatta style kokeshi place, and Kazuo became a full-time woodworker. Due to the fact that he was busy with his job, Ryoko started woodworking by herself.

Approx. dimensions
- height : 7cm / 2.75inch
- diameter : 7cm / 2.75inch
- weight : 154.0g

[Please consider the following]
- Our Kokeshis are painted with water colors, so they can be easily damaged by water. Please use a dry cloth to clean it.
- Our kokeshi are made of wood, so please avoid exposure to direct sunlight or heat. Humidity may damage the kokeshi. Please avoid excess moisture. (especially direct air from the air conditioner damages to the kokeshi dolls.)
- We strive to take photographs that are as accurate as possible to the actual product. However, please note that the color of the product photos may differ from the actual color depending on the environment in which you view them, such as on a computer or smartphone. Thank you for your understanding.

 [About shipment ]
We send your parcel by DHL to the world. The estimated time will be 5-10 days. The shipment fee will be calculated by the number of products you buy. Please double check your registered sending address on Shopify before completing your order. Every shipment has the tracking number. We will send you the number after shipping your parcel. 日本国内は、佐川急便にて発送致します。日時指定をご希望の際は、メモをご記入ください。（佐川急便の指定不可地域の場合はご指定いただけません）

[ Custom Tariff ]
Every customer is responsible for any customs and taxes when you import items from Japan. Especially, the customers from EU, UK and some other countries, sorry this shop doesn’t accept IOSS in those countries. The delivery staff will ask you to pay the tax when they deliver. We are not responsible for delays due to customs.