Occult Kokeshi Dolls are a Spooky Twist on the Traditional Japanese Gift

Artist Hiné Mizushi­ma con­tin­u­al­ly wows me with her craft cre­ations. Com­bin­ing fiber tech­niques such as nee­dle felt­ing, cro­chet, and embroi­dery, she pro­duces fan­tas­ti­cal works that are dri­ven by strong char­ac­ter design and (/or) stories.

The Occult Kokeshi series is a twist on the kokeshi doll, a tra­di­tion­al Japan­ese toy that is often giv­en as a sym­bol of friend­ship. Hiné’s inter­pre­ta­tions are sweet yet haunt­ing felt sculp­tures. The dolls, which were orig­i­nal­ly cre­at­ed in 2009 but have since been “restored and improved,” fea­ture kawaii par­a­sites spew­ing ven­om and a ghost­ly kit­ty haunt­ing its owner.

Hiné is sell­ing these dolls through the Hachimise online shop in Japan. If you want one, act quick­ly: as of now, the kokeshi with the kawaii par­a­sites is the only one left.

Get spooky with Hiné Mizushima’s occult twist on the traditional kokeshi doll.