Carved Wooden Mitate-Gosho as Monkey Trainer with Performing Monkey, Taisho Era

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12 1/2" (32 cm.) Carved wooden head in very rounded plump shape, face turned to the side, gofun finish, slits at side of face for insert of silk fiber hair that extends around the back of head to form a short queue that is captured in a little bow, painted facial features, narrow squinting eyes, painted teeth, wooden hands with expressive fingers and wooden legs with painted blue feet. He is costumed as a street performer with checkered sleeveless outer coat over green silk plaid kimono, straw sandals and is holding a spiral-striped staff used for monkey tricks, A brown wrap extends over his shoulders, encircling the little paper mache monkey at his back, the monkey wearing a chirimen silk crepe jacket with silk tie closure. Excellent condition with some minor frailty to silk of kimono. Taisho era, circa 1920. The doll is photographed on the frontispiece of Ningyo, The Art of the Japanese Doll by Alan Scott Pate. With the continuing popularity of the gosho doll, examples with variant body styles appeared, such as this rare monkey trainer gosho, a parody of activity found in Kyoto streets of the late 1800s.