KOKESHI DOLLS

Kokeshi dolls are made of wood and have no arms or legs. There are many different styles, but all are simple in their design with a head and a body - a sphere and a cylinder. They are usually very small, just few inches tall, but may be larger. The original dolls were always female. (Modern kokeshi dolls can be male).
According to the author of Japanese Dolls, there may be some religious significance to these dolls. The name itself means: ko=child, keshi=erasing. "In years of famine, women were unable to feed all their children and were reduced to abortion or infanticide (killing of a new-born baby). The new-born babes vanished so that the others should live. Kokeshi could thus have been memorial dolls, kept into the house to appease the spirits of the dead. In Japan feeble girls were less wanted than strong boys. No arms, no legs - a wrapped-up child or an innocent, wistful little ghost who has no need of arms or legs?"