Hina+Doll+Festival

On March 3rd(*1), the Japanese celebrate the peach blossom //Sekku// festival. This holiday has been observed s ince the Heian era (13th century), in order to purify one's self of all evil influences and to pray for good health at the time of the //Sekku// [changing of the seasons].

The //hina// doll festival is said to stem from the merging of two ancient traditions. Dolls had been used in prayer to remove evil spirits and influences. There was also the ancient custom of playing with hiina dolls as portrayed in the famous "Tale of Genji". The doll festival thus developed and evolved over the centuries, until eventually it led to the custom of displaying "//Tachibina// (standing dolls)", and later the "//Suwaribina// (Sitting dolls)".

It appears that this tradition of displaying and celebrating hina dolls became one of the royal functions of the Imperial Court during the Muromachi period (1333 - 1573). Later, this practice gradually spread to the common people. Today, the peach blossom Sekku festival has become an established Japanese holiday to celebrate the health and well-being of the girls in the household as well as to wish that they grew up healthy and strong.

When I was a child, at my house we would put the emperor and empress //hina// dolls on display to celebrate this holiday. Because these beautiful dolls would only be brought out once a year, I remember how thrilled I was watching them being taken out of the huge boxes where they had been stored. On the day of the hina festival, I would always look forward to the rice balls which my mother would make us, shaped to resemble the hina dolls.

Once I left home, I no longer celebrated this day. But eventually I was blessed with a daughter of my own. My mother sent me my hina dolls saying, "This time, they're for your daughter". Since that time, I came to look forward to celebrating the hina festival as a parent. One of my pleasures is to ponder over what sort of dishes to make for that year. Perhaps someday my two-year old daughter will come to look forward to this day.

Now on to the hina dolls. I'd forgotten which doll to put on the right and which on the left, so after searching around for some reference source, I pulled out this book that I had bought some time ago and soon found myself totally absorbed. I learned from this book that in ancient times, the left side was held in higher esteem, so the Emperor doll was always placed on the left. However, since the Taisho era (1912-1926), people began to follow the seating of the Emperor and Empress in the //Shishinden//(*2), where the male sits on the right. The "right" and "left" mentioned here, refers to right and left from the perspective of the dolls themselves and not how they should be placed when facing them. One can sense just how much Sata Tanaka treasures the hina dolls merely by reading the introduction to this volume. I therefore have made a habit of always rereading this introduction each year when it's time to display the hina dolls.

In the introduction, Sata Tanaka writes with regard to the art of Origami:

//The Japanese Art of Origami. The original creator of the majority of these patterns remains unknown and the style of folding has been passed down through the generations to reach us today. For various ceremonies and as gift wrappings for utensils, origami has been used to add beauty and grace to paper used for practical purposes. Even aside from this use, origami was a pleasant form of play in which all sorts of things could be made, simply by folding washi paper. When the Edo culture was at the height of its prosperity, washi folding was not only a form of amusement among women and children, but many hobbyists and enthusiasts would get very involved in creating intricate works of art depicting humans, birds, beasts, insects, and fish.//

The folding instructions for the hina dolls are provided in detail with plenty of diagrams. First, one reads the sections titled, "Before you begin" and "Materials". In the "Before you begin" section, an explanation of the diagrams and instructions are provided for the novice. It says, //"If you follow the diagrams in order, then you should be able to have an enjoyable experience folding your doll"//, words of encouragement for the novice. Next, under "Materials" is listed "Origami paper" -- it says that thin washi paper in perfect squares are best for this use. The sizes of washi paper required to fold the emperor hina doll, empress hina doll, three maids-in-waiting, and five musicians are described in detail, allowing the reader to grasp the balance of the entire diorama. You'll also need "Scissors", "Tweezers", and "Thin knitting needles". It also states quite firmly, "Because pencil will dirty the paper, we will not use it". Under the section headed, "How to read the diagrams" check to see what the various lines represent, and now you're ready to start folding. First we'll start with the hina emperor doll.

This book was first published in 1969 by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers and was originally written by Sata Tanaka on her own. She had been urged to write this book by Momoko Ishii, one of the leading figures in modern Japanese children's literature. Unfortunately, the title went out of print and it is now once again available as a private printing by "San-nin Kai" (Three persons group). The San-nin Kai is made up of Sata Tanaka and her two daughters-in-law.

Hina doll festival practices have been passed down through the generations in every part of the country following their respective traditions on how the dolls are displayed and what they mean. In Aizu, where I live, because May is one of the busiest times of the year for farmers, there are some families who display the dolls dedicated to the "Tenjin god of Aizu" or Lord Sugawara Michizane who is revered as the god of learning and calligraphy, at the time of the Peach blossom festival. How is this holiday celebrated where you live?

In closing, I would like to again share some of Sata Tanaka's words with you.

//Folding hina dolls may be a modest accomplishment, but as you carefully make each fold, you can feel the warmth of your heart passing down through your fingers.// //And this in turn, evokes one's love for the hina dolls and for mankind.//

 Sakana Hayashi [|Story From This Site]