Pink japanese kokeshi doll with "Sally" the cat, NEKO NO SARI

Kokeshi dolls are Japanese dolls from northern Japan. The creation of kokeshi dates back over 150 years, by the kiji-shi (woodworkers) in northern Honshu, in the Tohoku region. Kokeshi made of wood (cherry, pear, cornus, maple or Mizuki, dried 1 to 5 years to be sculptable) are painted and decorated with flowers, then covered with lacquer. In Japan, at the beginning of their creation, these dolls were toys for the children of the peasants. There are over a hundred types of kokeshi dolls. These Japanese wooden dolls, are offered to declare friendship or love a person, but also symbolize the wish and desire to have a healthy child.