Akihiro Konno

Akihiro Konno was born on August 16, 1950 in the family of a land and house surveyor in Fukushima City. After graduating from high school, he worked as a city employee for two years, then moved to Tokyo to study at the Faculty of Letters at Hosei University. After graduating in 1976, he returned to Fukushima and worked at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the recommendation of his relative, kokeshi craftsman Yoshio Watanabe (a disciple of Toshio Shinoki), Akihiro went to the home of Sashima Sato in Tsuchiyu in September 1982 to train in woodcarving. However, since Sashima was hardly working at the turning wheel at that time at that time, Akihiro learned the technique from Sashima's son-in-law and apprentice, Hisaya Sato. Akihiro Konno's home was in Sawara, Fukushima City, about a 10-minute drive from Tsuchiyu, so he continued working during the week and commuting to Tsuchiyu on weekends to continue his training. He often had the opportunity to use Sashima's potter's wheel. He started making kokeshi dolls at the beginning of his training, and in 1983 he exhibited at the Fukushima City Products Exhibition, and in the following year he was introduced as a craftsman in the Kokeshi Kawaraban magazine edited by Oura Yasuhide.
In 1997, 15 years after the start of his training, he was accepted into the Tsuchiyu Kokeshi Craftsmen's Union, and officially began making kokeshi dolls as a Tsuchiyu-style craftsman.

Akihiro inherited the styles of both Kyuya Sato and Sashima Sato.
His initial works were faithful to Sato Kyuya's style in his later years, such as face drawing, especially the way he painted the eyes, but he gradually established his own style, that of Akihiro Konno. He has also shown interest in kokeshi dolls made by other Tsuchiyu predecessors, and has devoted an effort to studying them.

In 2002, Akihiro took the job of an instructor at the Life Hygiene Business Guidance Center, making kokeshi during his free time. In that position he worked for about 14 years, until officially retiring in March 2016. After his retirement, he was able to devote himself to making kokeshi dolls.

Tsuchiyu School

Tsuchiyu tradition originated in the 1840s at Tsuchiyu Onsen in Fukushima Prefecture, with the work of Sakuma Kamegoro, a woodworker.

Tsuchiyu artists are famous for being the most accomplished in the circular style of painting, known as the rokuro moyo style. While this technique is present in other traditions, Tsuchiyu makers take it several steps further: they often either reverse the line at some point or zig-zag the lines periodically, adding dynamic energy to the design. Some dolls even have patterns of flowers between the lines.

The Tsuchiyu artists typically utilize snap-on and squeeze-in techniques for attaching the heads, which are delicate techniques requiring advanced woodworking skills and high precision. Most have double lid eyes and round or long noses. The top of the head is typically completed with one or two black (occasionally purple or green) concentric circles, together with a red bow and a loop. The innermost circle of the head is usually colorless.

For many decades, Tsuchiyu dolls targeted predominantly collectors, and their artistic quality is typically very high.

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