This is a beautiful set of eight totally different vintage Japanese kokeshi dolls. Kokeshi dolls were originally created by wood workers as toys, they were made from pieces of wood no longer useful for pieces of furniture. After supplying all the children in the villages they noticed visitors' interest in the dolls as souvenirs. Most of these villages were 'Onsen' (hot water spring) villages in the Tohoku region, the kokeshi craft spread to more regions in the same part of Japan and each village / region created their own distinct style. Kokeshi are hand turned on a lathe to create the distinct doll shape and it is often painted on the lathe to crete the straight lines. The head of the doll is usually made from a separate piece of wood and fitted before painting the last details. These dolls are estimated to have been created in the late 1970s or early 1980s The largest doll in this set is 45 cm tall, the others are between 31 and 15 cm tall. They are in good shape, especially if you take their age into account.