“Okiagari Koboshi “ project
I was invited to be a part of a wonderful peace project “Okiagari Koboshi “ .
Okiagari koboshi (literally “a little priest who gets back up”) is a work of folk art, talisman that over 400 years since the Edo period symbolizes good luck for the residents of Aizu region of fukushima prefecture.
Okiagari-Koboshi project is the idea of the Japanese designer Kenzo Takada founder of fashion brand Kenzo. Famous French, Italian, Spanish , Ukrainian artists designed the dolls expressing best wishes for early recovery of Japan from the natural disaster. Japanese artists cover the white base of the dolls made by the local craftsmen from Aizu region, with symbolic paintings and send prayers for the speedy resumption of their homeland. Okiagari-koboshi designed this way were already exhibited in France and other European countries. Such exhibitions give the opportunity to remember and reflect upon the Great East Japan earthquake and the accident it caused at the Fukushima NPP, about people who strive for revival, about solidarity and support in such recovery.
In 2017 this project came to Ukraine . For the support of the Fukushima residents Okiagari-koboshi were painted by the Chornobyl accident liquidators, evacuees from the contaminated regions, Ukrainain children, prominent Ukrainian artists, musicians and sportsmen.
These okiagari-koboshi are special, because they were made of paper cycled from thousands origami cranes that were sent to Hiroshima from all over the world to the Peace-memorial with the Peace Monument to sadakosasaki , a Japanese girl that died of leukemia after the atomic bombing.
In different times people of Japan and Ukraine went through global tragedies of the 20th and 21st century, which are characterized by the severe after-effects of the nuclear epoch. These tragedies have not just changed the history of the two countries , but also self-awareness of the Japanese and Ukrainian people and engraved a longing desire to live in peace and conciliation, serving as an example of reconciliation between human, science and technology that endangered existence of the human civilization and the Earth.
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