Hina dolls on a scroll

kakejiku , Japanese hanging scroll, is changed in tune with the season of Girls’ day.
standing type of imperial dolls on the scroll is closer to the origin of Hina dolls.

a little different types of Hina dolls

Hina dolls on a picnic in the garden
In some areas, they hang two pairs of 55 different kinds of lucky charms on strings, wishing their daughters’ happiness and health. Handmade crafts out of antique cloth by women.

Ichimatsu Dolls

ichimatsu dolls are a type of traditional Japanese dolls. They have bobbed hair and placed at the foot of the stairs.

The imperial palace

The imperial couple is sitting inside the palace on the left.
the warrior-guardians are standing and the manservants are by the fire in the garden The court ladies are table setting on the corridor. the ladies are playing the fan tossing game.

household equipments in the court

On the lower tiers, they have household equipments.
a cow carriage for the noble family... A set of tea things with a peacock painted on top of the shelf
chest of drawers. snow covered Mt. Fuji on the left of the sliding window, a vermillion shrine gate and flying birds on the right.

the court ladies and the musicians

The second tier holds three court ladies ‘san-nin kanjo’’. Each holds sake equipment.
The third tier holds five male musicians ‘gonin bayashi’. Each holds a musical instrument, which are a small drum, large drum, hand drum, flute. the singer holds a folding fan(out of this photo).

variation of dolls representing the 'Empress'

　Nothing beats faces of the ‘Empress doll’ with an expression of its own. Some of them are from the beginning of 20 century and even from 19 century. They survived through the ages and have seen ups and downs. They have been watching over girls' health and happiness. These dolls that transcend the time-frames are not available at stores.
The costumes are also exquisite. You take a close look, and then you’ll see the multi-layered collars.
This last pair seems to be in not good condition, I saw them behind glass.

imperial dolls --new ones

I’d like to start with dolls representing the Emperor and Empress, placed on the top layer.
At department stores, probably you'd get mass-produced brand new sets, like these ones.
I’d rather explore the old ones from a century ago or two, getting handed down from generation to generation.
You see ‘the Empress doll’ on their left, and ‘the Emperor doll’ on their right. This is Kyoto style placement, which is different from the standard placement.

Hinamatsuri, Doll's Day or Girls' Day

Hinamatsuri , Doll's Day or Girls' Day, celebrated each year on March 3 is a special day in Japan. People display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period, wishing their daughters growing up healthily. The custom began during the Heian period.
Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down after the festival, but here in Gokashō, a town in mid Shiga Prefecture, they keep its display until the end of March. The town is also known for having produced many successful merchants. One area is designated as Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings.