Issetsu Kuribayashi (1924-2011) was born in 1924 in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. He was a prominent Kokeshi Master and a founding father of the Sosaku-Creative Kokeshi movement. He began making Kokeshi dolls in 1955 and is renowned for his carved and complementing shapes showing an innovative and artistic approach to the craft. Kuribayashi won numerous awards including the prestigious Prime Minister Award. His works were also exhibited in the Government Pavilion of the Japan International Exposition in Osaka in 1970 and at the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany. He was the President of the Yonezawa Miyuki Association and a Member of the Nippon Kokeshi Artistic Handicraft Association. Kuribayashi enjoys long flowing unbound hair, (taregami), and incorporates traditional hairstyles both with and without hair ornaments, (Kanzashi). Kuribayashi passed away in 2011. 

Available Kokeshi Art by Issetsu Kuribayashi: