Kokeshi Bento Box Stacking Doll: The Destiny of Things, Story 243

Kokeshi Bento Box Stacking Doll:  The Destiny of Things, Story 243

As a recovering hoarder, it's good to know I'm not the only one with sentimental memories...

 photo via Hoarder Rehab

 small kokeshi bento box available here

I have so many memories wrapped around bento boxes like these I don't know where to begin, but I'm sure once I write them down I won't cling on to them like I know I do.

My earliest memory is of one of these is the large one that always sat on and end table in my Grandparent's living room.  The top portion held packaged senbei (Japanese rice cracker snack with nori on it) and in the bottom were candy coffee nips.

My Grandparent's lived in a modern mid century house that they had built when they retired and I took many naps on their huge black leather couches that smelled of cigar or on the Berber carpeting  right next to the open sliding glass door and woke up to the Kokeshi snack box!

My large one is somewhat like this, but more round.

Note to self: take a pix of it this weekend

When my Grandparents died and my parents were cleaning the house out, the large one was tossed around by all the cousins, like a hot potato and I ended up with it.  I also ended up with one of their leather couches and furniture my Grandfather made in the Japanese Internment Camp and so much more, which was basically the stuff my Aunt and Uncles didn't want, but couldn't bare to throw away.

And some of it was good stuff, like my Grandmother's 40s Fostoria crystal she had for all kinds of different wines and dessert liqueurs.

Anyways, I sometimes use my large kokeshi box to clear the energy from my crystals and rocks a good friend has given me by putting them inside under a pile of rice, but most of the time it holds some mid century modern coasters and my match cover and box collection and sits a top the fireplace mantel with my collection of Hulk Smash Talking Hands I used to use in the classroom to kid my students about letting them duke it out and it was a good way to get their attention when I felt like hitting something!

I have four sets of these, but one set are both lefties.

photo via google

Now the little kokeshi box was used for special occassions, like Japanese Girl's day, Doll day or Hinamatsuri on March 3.  I didn't have the regular sized platform of dolls, but I had a small glass encased version and we did use the small kokeshi box for special treats for the festival day.

And even though you are only supposed to fly huge fish carp kites on Boy's day, my Grandparent's flew them for me because I just love to see them flying in the wind.  I have an over 6 foot pink carp fish I used to display over a wall next to the air conditioning vent and when the a/c went on it would fill up and wiggle just like the old days!

 photo via Hoarder Rehab

 small kokeshi bento box available here

Most of the time, I received elaborate gifts, like my Japanese obi, zanzashi, children sized lacquered formal tea set, dolls in glass boxes and a large lacquered musical jewelry box with lots of drawers with tassels and a pop up Japanese doll that turned to the music.

My pre tied obi I used many summers for the Obon festivals

My kanzashi, sold, but she let me keep it after ordering it!

See it or read about here

I don't know what happened to my favorite jewelry box in the world, but I still have everything else, including the lacquered child sized formal bento set with Mother of Pearl chop sticks.  The plastic is so much easier to care for, which reminds me I have an entire serving set of Japanese lacquer ware some where in my hoard!

 photo via Hoarder Rehab

 last small kokeshi bento box available here

On to the best part of this post, the story I received in "Note to Buyer."

Hi, very happy to see this bento box that is exactly the same as one that was my babysitter's. It was given to me by her mother after she was killed in a motorcycle accident at age 18. I had it for years but somehow lost it when I went to college many years ago. I had contemplated getting a modern one to remember Tina by, but then luckily saw yours in a Google search. I live in a suburb of Washington, DC. Thanks for selling it!

How neato is that?  Thank you google search!  It brought me someone as sentimental with memories as I am.  Interesting how memories become imbedded into sentimental objects and I have piles of hoard on top of piles of memories until it's a viscous cycle.  At least taking photos of my hoard and posting the memories of some of them are helping me control my hoarder habits.

And uncluttering my living space does help unclutter my mind.  I wonder what it will be like once I'm clutter free.

photo via Hoarder Rehab

 last small kokeshi bento box available here

Saying Goodbye:  It is so much easier letting go of my hoard now and I wonder if it has to do with getting used to it or having a less cluttered mind which seems to help my stress and anxiety, which seems to reduce the viscous cycle effect.

1.  It's interesting to see how memories become imbedded into things and I would like to know when it stops or how to stop it.  For me, as a recovering hoarder, I can almost find a memory for every little thing I own.  I'm not just a hoarder of things, but a hoarder of memories.

Maybe it's time for me to let go of old memories and make new ones.  Although I do seem to entwine new memories with souvenirs and found objects!  Another mystery to unravel and solve...

2.  I also see that one memories abruptly jumps to another and then another, like pulling an infinite unraveling thread!  Oh my, need to work on that too....

Another childhood obession that followed me into adulthood

Tansu or Japanese mobile drawer storage, small, medium and large!

photo via Hoarder Rehab, new old stock baby tansu box, available here

Thank you Etsy buyer from Hoarder Rehab for leaving your endearing story that led me to my heart felt story and perhaps now that I know I'm not "the only one," (even though I know I'm not the only one, yours seem to hit the nail just right for me at the right time) who holds memories in things, I won't cling to so MANY of them now!

Thank you Etsy and Google Search for bringing me one step closer to my dream of a Minimalist Organic home with a dehoarded life, mind and truck!

Thank you US, Germany, Sweden, Canada, China, Guatemala, Australia, Hong Kong, Saint Lucia, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan and others supporting in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!   

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by October for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 197 items, The Destiny of Things- 201 items , VintageToGoEasy - 186 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 179 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

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Most Read Story of the Month and All Time:  My Louis Vuitton Collection: the end of my collection is the beginning for someone else.  The last piece of my LV collection, my 80s LV gold cornered wallet is available here at The Destiny of Things!   

"To improve is to change, to perfect is to change often."