Zhenizhok Kokoев (real name Oto, 1860 — 1918) — an outstanding akyn of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, whose legacy has only begun to be seriously studied in recent years. He was born in the Sary-Kobon area, now part of the Manas district in the Talas region, to a poor family. After losing his parents at an early age, Zhenizhok was forced to leave his homeland and move to the village of Kara-Suu in the Aksy district of the Jalal-Abad region.As a teenager, he sang famous dastans such as "Kozhozhash," "Er Teshstuk," and the epic "Semetey." According to some sources, Zhenizhok was literate, but he did not record his works. The folk memory has preserved only the texts of his "terme." These are songs of moral teachings, instructions, denunciations, etc., as well as "terme" of philosophical content, including about his time ("zaman yry"). The creative encounter between Zhenizhok and Esenaman is considered a classic example of "aytysh."
During the Soviet era, the akyn's work was characterized as "reactionary-mystical," and it began to be published only from 1982 onwards.
