Kokeshi Matches by Hiromi Hirasaka

If you’re not familiar with the terminology, kokeshi referes to a genre of  Japanese traditional dolls. The dolls are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and a painted face. These dolls have no arms or legs (similar to the Russian dolls), the cilindrical body is adorned with various decorative motifs and the bottom is marked with the signature of the artist. This way, the main focus turns to the head and the expression of the face.

The Osaka-based artist Hiromi Hirasaka borrows the kokeshi concept to design something mundane and unexpected – matches. From matchsticks to matchbox design, we can notice a great attention for detail and of course, a note of humour.

That’s one of those emotional objects that is impossible to ignore and, to be sincere, you don’t really want to light them up.

images source: thedieline.com