Yousai Inoue "Clear Night" Formed with Tōso Over Wooden Core Coated with Urushi

  • Dolls
  • Created in 2023
  • H 38.0 x W 14.0 x D 11.0 cm
  • $3,672
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Tōso Over Wooden Core Coated with Whitewash and Urushi
The doll is formed with tōso over a wooden core, Japanese traditional paper is pasted, and whitewash is applied. Whitewash overcoating is applied several times to give a sense of transparency to the skin. The clothes are finished with matte black urushi and sprinkled gold powder.

I made this piece with the image of a women from the Bible (Old Testament), Abigail.
Abigail was a thoughtful women who had true faith in God. She saved her country and later on became David's wife. I was fascinated by her way of life and named this doll "Clear Night", expressing her image with the contrast of black and white.

Category Dolls
Year of Creation 2023
Dimensions H 38.0 x W 14.0 x D 11.0 cm
Exhibition The 52nd Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2023)

Yousai Inoue

photo Yousai Inoue

1. My source of creation is insatiable curiosity and spirit of inquiry. My imagination is added to this, a theme is born, followed by the form and colors. 2. A doll is made in the form of a human, but I want to keep it dreamy in a way. I want to make pure, beautiful and cute dolls that people would want to keep beside them for a long time. 3. I mainly use wooden core covered with tōso (mixture of paulownia sawdust and paste) to make the dolls, but I sometimes make papier- mâché dolls and carved wooden dolls. 4. I cover the dolls with paper or cloth. Recently, I use mineral pigments and urushi lacquer to paint the dolls. 5. I started using urushi lacquer because of its excellent durability. I hope my dolls will remain as they are now even after I'm gone..