Hinamatsuri
Encyclopedia
The Japan
ese , or Girls' Day, is held on March 3. Platforms covered with a red carpet
are used to display a set of representing the Emperor
, Empress
, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period
.
. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called , in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine
(part of the Kamo Shrine
complex in Kyoto
) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo River
s to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them.
The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented
rice
. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi
, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served. Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clam
s still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, because a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so.
Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter.
and Kansai region have different placement orders of the dolls from left to right, but the order of dolls per level are the same.
The term for the platform in Japanese is . The layer of covering is called or simply , a red carpet with rainbow stripes at the bottom.
The dolls are usually placed in front of a gold folding screen and placed beside green Japanese garden trees.
Optional are the two lampstands, called , and the paper or silk lanterns that are known as , which are usually decorated with cherry or ume blossom patterns.
Complete sets would include accessories placed between the two figures, known as , composing of two vases of artificial peach branch .
The traditional arrangement had the male on the right, while modern arrangements had him on the left (from the viewer's perspective).
Accessories placed between the ladies are , stands with round table-tops for seasonal sweets, excluding hishimochi.
Left to right, from viewer's perspective, they are the:
Between the two figures are covered bowl tables , also referred to as , as well as diamond-shaped stands bearing diamond-shaped ricecakes . Hishidai with feline-shaped legs are known as .
Just below the ministers: on the rightmost, a mandarin orange tree , and on the leftmost, a cherry blossom tree .
storage. : smaller clothing storage box, placed on top of nagamochi. : literally mirror stand, a smaller chest of drawer with a mirror on top. : sewing kit box.
(Italy
), with the patronage of the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Institute and the historical Gabinetto Vieusseux
.
.
In the nineteenth century ningyo were introduced to the West. Doll collecting has since become a popular pastime in the West (Scott, 2008). Famous well known collectors from the West include individuals such as James Tissot
(1836–1902), Jules Adeline (1845–1909), Eloise Thomas (1907–1982), and Samuel Pryor (1898–1985). James Tissot was known to be a religious history painter. In 1862, after attending a London Exhibition, he was drawn to Japanese Art
. During the 1860s Tissot, was known as one of most important collectors of Japanese art in Paris. His collections included kosode-style kimono
s, paintings, bronze, ceramics, screens and a number bijan-nigyo (dolls from late Edo period) (Scott, 2008). Adeline was known as a working artist and he is also known as “Mikika”. Adeline produced many works throughout his career as a working artist. He is best known for his “etchings” and received the Cross of the Legion of Honor for his Vieuex-Roven “Le Parvis Notre-Dame”. Unlike Tissot, Adeline is recognized as a true collector. A majority of Adeline’s collection consisted of ningyo, and only a few prints.
During the Meiji Era, three men became pioneers in collecting ningya, Kurihara Sokosut (1851-113), Nishizawa, Senko (1864–1914), and Tsuboi Shogoro (1863–1913). The three men are referred to as “Gangu san Ketsu” (The Three great toy collectors. They introduced a systematic approach to collecting ningyo, in an effort to preserve and document the various forms of ningyo (Scott, 2008). Shimizu Seifu, an artist and calligrapher, put his artistic ability to use by creating an illustrated catalog of his own collection of 440 ningyo dolls. The illustration was published in (1891) under the title “Unai no tomo”. Nishizawa Senko, a banker, gathered a significant collection on hina-ningyo. He was an active researcher, collector of stories, documents, and information relating to the development of hina-ningyo during the Edo period
. Senko’s son Tekiho (1889–1965) inherited his collection but, a great portion of the collection was lost in the Kanto earthquake
of 1932. (Scott, 2008). Tsuboi Shogoro, the first appointed Professor of Anthropology
at the Tokyo Imperial University (Yamashita, Bosco, & Seymour, 2004), was the most trained of the three, and he brought a scientific element to the collecting of ningyo. Dolls have been a part of Japanese culture for many years; and the phenomenon of collecting them is still practiced. Many collections are preserved in museums including the Peabody Essex Museum
, Kyoto National Museum
, and the Yodoko Guest House
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese , or Girls' Day, is held on March 3. Platforms covered with a red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
are used to display a set of representing the Emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
, Empress
Japanese empresses
In Japan, empress may refer to either or .- Empresses regnant :There were eight female imperial reigns in Japan's early history between 593 and 770, and two more in the early modern period...
, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
.
Origin and customs
The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian periodHeian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called , in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine
Shimogamo Shrine
Shimogamo Shrine, called Shimogamo-jinja in Japanese, is the common name of an important Shinto sanctuary in the Shimogamo district of Kyoto city's Sakyō ward. Its formal name is Kamo-mioya-jinja...
(part of the Kamo Shrine
Kamo Shrine
is a general term for an important Shinto sanctuary complex on both banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto. It is centered on two shrines. The two shrines, an upper and a lower, lie in a corner of the old capital which was known as the due to traditional geomancy beliefs that the north-east...
complex in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo River
Kamo River
The is located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and tourists. In summer, restaurants open balconies looking out to the river. There are pathways running alongside the river on which one can walk along the river, and some stepping stones that cross...
s to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them.
The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi
Hishi mochi
is a symbolic Japanese sweet associated with the Hinamatsuri "Girl's Day" festival, which coincides with the calendar date for Xiuxi . The sweet is rhomboid in shape and typically formed from three layers of red, white, and green mochi, from top to bottom. Depending on region, the red may be...
, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served. Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, because a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so.
Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter.
Placement
The Kantō regionKanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
and Kansai region have different placement orders of the dolls from left to right, but the order of dolls per level are the same.
The term for the platform in Japanese is . The layer of covering is called or simply , a red carpet with rainbow stripes at the bottom.
First platform, the top
The top tier holds two dolls, known as . These are the holding a and holding a fan. The words dairi means "imperial palace", and hina means "girl" or "princess".The dolls are usually placed in front of a gold folding screen and placed beside green Japanese garden trees.
Optional are the two lampstands, called , and the paper or silk lanterns that are known as , which are usually decorated with cherry or ume blossom patterns.
Complete sets would include accessories placed between the two figures, known as , composing of two vases of artificial peach branch .
The traditional arrangement had the male on the right, while modern arrangements had him on the left (from the viewer's perspective).
Second platform
The second tier holds three court ladies . Each holds sake equipment. From the viewer's perspective, the standing lady on the right is the long-handled sake-bearer , the standing lady on the left is the backup sake-bearer , and the only lady in the middle is the seated sake bearer .Accessories placed between the ladies are , stands with round table-tops for seasonal sweets, excluding hishimochi.
Third platform
The third tier holds five male musicians . Each holds a musical instrument except the singer, who holds a fan.Left to right, from viewer's perspective, they are the:
- Small drum , seated,
- Large drum , standing,
- Hand drum , standing,
- Flute , or , seated,
- Singer , holding a folding fan , standing.
Fourth platform
Two ministers (daijin) may be displayed on the fourth tier: the and the . The Minister of the Right is depicted as a young person, while the Minister of the Left is much older. Also, because the dolls are placed in positions relative to each other, the Minister of the Right will be on the viewer's left and the Minister of the Left will be on the viewer's right. Both are sometimes equipped with bows and arrows.Between the two figures are covered bowl tables , also referred to as , as well as diamond-shaped stands bearing diamond-shaped ricecakes . Hishidai with feline-shaped legs are known as .
Just below the ministers: on the rightmost, a mandarin orange tree , and on the leftmost, a cherry blossom tree .
Fifth platform
The fifth tier, between the plants, holds three helpers or samurai as the protectors of the Emperor and Empress. From left to right (viewer's perspective):- Maudlin drinker ,
- Cantankerous drinker , and
- Merry drinker
Other platforms
On the sixth and seventh tiers, a variety of miniature furniture, tools, carriages, etc., are displayed.Sixth platform
These are items used within the palatial residence. : chest of (usually five) drawers, sometimes with swinging outer covering doors. : long chest for kimonoKimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
storage. : smaller clothing storage box, placed on top of nagamochi. : literally mirror stand, a smaller chest of drawer with a mirror on top. : sewing kit box.
- two : braziers. : a set of or , utensils for the tea ceremony.
Seventh platform, the bottom
These are items used when away from the palatial residence., a set of nested lacquered food boxes with either a cord tied vertically around the boxes or a stiff handle that locks them together., a palanquin., an ox-drawn carriage favored by Heian nobility. This last is sometimes known as ).- Less common, , an ox drawing a cart of flowers.
Elsewhere
The Hinamatsuri is also celebrated in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), with the patronage of the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Institute and the historical Gabinetto Vieusseux
Gabinetto Vieusseux
The Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario G. P. Vieusseux, founded in 1819 by Giovan Pietro Vieusseux, a merchant from Geneva, is a library in Florence, Italy...
.
Collectors
Joseph Alsop, in his pioneering work on the history of art collection provides, the following definition: “To collect is to gather objects belonging to a particular category the collector happens to fancy; and art collecting is a form of collecting in which the category is, broadly speaking, works of art.” (Scott, 2008). Japanese dolls, Hinamatsuri are broken down into several subcategories. Two of the most prominent are Girl’s Day, hina-ningy, and the Boy’s Day musha-ningyo, or display dolls, sagu-ningyo, gosho-ningyo, and isho-ningyo (Scott, 2008). Collections can be categorized by the material they are made of such as wood dolls kamo-ningyo and nara-ningyo and, clay forms such as fushimi-ningyo and Hakata ningyoHakata ningyo
are traditional Japanese clay dolls, originally from the city of Fukuoka, part of which was previously named Hakata before the city merger in 1889.- History :...
.
In the nineteenth century ningyo were introduced to the West. Doll collecting has since become a popular pastime in the West (Scott, 2008). Famous well known collectors from the West include individuals such as James Tissot
James Tissot
James Jacques Joseph Tissot was a French painter, who spent much of his career in Britain.-Biography:Tissot was born in Nantes, France. In about 1856, he began study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Hippolyte Flandrin and Lamothe, and became friendly with Edgar Degas and James Abbott...
(1836–1902), Jules Adeline (1845–1909), Eloise Thomas (1907–1982), and Samuel Pryor (1898–1985). James Tissot was known to be a religious history painter. In 1862, after attending a London Exhibition, he was drawn to Japanese Art
Japanese art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art...
. During the 1860s Tissot, was known as one of most important collectors of Japanese art in Paris. His collections included kosode-style kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
s, paintings, bronze, ceramics, screens and a number bijan-nigyo (dolls from late Edo period) (Scott, 2008). Adeline was known as a working artist and he is also known as “Mikika”. Adeline produced many works throughout his career as a working artist. He is best known for his “etchings” and received the Cross of the Legion of Honor for his Vieuex-Roven “Le Parvis Notre-Dame”. Unlike Tissot, Adeline is recognized as a true collector. A majority of Adeline’s collection consisted of ningyo, and only a few prints.
During the Meiji Era, three men became pioneers in collecting ningya, Kurihara Sokosut (1851-113), Nishizawa, Senko (1864–1914), and Tsuboi Shogoro (1863–1913). The three men are referred to as “Gangu san Ketsu” (The Three great toy collectors. They introduced a systematic approach to collecting ningyo, in an effort to preserve and document the various forms of ningyo (Scott, 2008). Shimizu Seifu, an artist and calligrapher, put his artistic ability to use by creating an illustrated catalog of his own collection of 440 ningyo dolls. The illustration was published in (1891) under the title “Unai no tomo”. Nishizawa Senko, a banker, gathered a significant collection on hina-ningyo. He was an active researcher, collector of stories, documents, and information relating to the development of hina-ningyo during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Senko’s son Tekiho (1889–1965) inherited his collection but, a great portion of the collection was lost in the Kanto earthquake
Kanto earthquake
can refer to any of the historical earthquakes to occur in the Kantō region that originate from slippage in the Sagami Trough. Although the 1854 Ansei Great Earthquakes also struck in the region, this term is never used to refer to these quakes.It can refer to:...
of 1932. (Scott, 2008). Tsuboi Shogoro, the first appointed Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the Tokyo Imperial University (Yamashita, Bosco, & Seymour, 2004), was the most trained of the three, and he brought a scientific element to the collecting of ningyo. Dolls have been a part of Japanese culture for many years; and the phenomenon of collecting them is still practiced. Many collections are preserved in museums including the Peabody Essex Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...
, Kyoto National Museum
Kyoto National Museum
The is one of the three formerly imperially-mandated art museums in Japan. The museum is located in Higashiyama Ward in Kyoto. The collections of the Kyoto National Museum focus on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art....
, and the Yodoko Guest House
Yodokō Guest House
The Yodokō Guest House was built as the summer villa for the well-to-do brewer of Sakura-Masamune sake, Tazaemon Yamamura, and is the only surviving Frank Lloyd Wright residence in Japan...
.
See also
- Holidays of JapanHolidays of JapanPublic holidays in Japan were established by the of 1948 .A provision of the law establishes that when a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next working day shall become a public holiday, known as . Additionally, any day that falls between two other national holidays shall also become a...
- Japanese FestivalsJapanese festivalsJapanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....
- Japanese traditional dollsJapanese traditional dollsJapanese traditional dolls are known by the name in Japan, which literally means human shape.There are various types of Japanese dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and demons, and also people of the daily life of...
- Tango no Sekku
- Yurihonjo hinakaidoYurihonjo hinakaido, meaning "Yurihonjō city hina doll route,"is the name of an event held in March in Yurihonjō City in Akita Prefecture in Japan, in which visitors can follow a map of public displays of the traditional Hina dolls at over 50 different locations around the city....
—an annual trail of hina doll displays in Yurihonjo City
Further reading
- Ishii, Minako. Girls' Day/Boys' Day. Honolulu: Bess Press Inc., 2007. ISBN 157306274X. A children's picture book.