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Hina Matsuri
The celebration of a girl's healthy growth
The Hina Matsuri festival is a traditional family celebration for their daughter's health displaying hina ningyo dolls. Dolls became very popular in the Heian period (794-1185) among the imperial family and aristocrats and soon came to be the caretaker's of a girl's health.
There are many kinds of hina ningyo doll displays: most simple one consists of only 1 stage with 2 dolls and some gorgeous ones have 7 stairs with 15 dolls. It is because 7 and 15 are auspicious numbers. On the top stage, there are Odairi-sama (emperor) and Ohina-sama (empress) sitting together in front of the golden folding screen. Next dolls are Sannin Kanjo or three female servants, and next are Gonin Bayashi (five music players) who holds various traditional music instruments. The last ones are U-daijin (the court minister on the right) and Sa-daijin (the court minister on the left) who are the loyal guards and servants of the emperor. The styles and facial expression of each doll set are quite different depending on the craftsman. Some look childish, round smiling face and some look elegant and dignified face. Hairstyle, the patterns on their costume, colors, etc. are different too.
Between each dolls, various kinds of miniature furniture and fittings are presented such as wardrobe, sake ware, wooden plates, trays, palanquins, carts, etc. Don't look at them as toys or something tinny. Not only their structure is really fine and accurate, they are decorated with real gold foil and first-class lacquer. They are not something that small children play with but something valuable as art crafts.
Hina Matsuri Special Exhibitions
Until 4/4
Museum of Kyoto: the hina ningyo sets and fittings belonging to Kyoto Prefecture. Female kimono costumes from the Edo (1600-1868) to the Meiji period (1868-1912) will also be exhibited.
Until 4/11
Hosomi Museum: an excellent exhibit of pine tree decorations (related to the New Year) and Hina Matsuri articles. One of the hina ningyo sets in the exhibition was made by a living national treasure craftsman.
Until 4/3
Hina Matsuri Doll Display & Special Lunch at Tondaya
Tondaya started out as a shop for kimono textiles. Their business is based in a magnificent machiya townhouse in Nishijin (Kyoto's famous textile district). Every year for the Hina Matsuri festival, Tondaya displays the large hina ningyo sets that have been handed from generation to generation for the past 130 years. Visitors can enjoy special lunch course at Tondaya including hina matsuri specialties like shiro sake, hishi mochi, etc.... 11:00-13:00; 8,400 yen; for location details.
Kyoto Dolls
Guarding children since 794
Japan is known around the world as a treasure house for dolls. And if dolls are to be closely identified with anywhere, then that place is Kyoto.
The origin of Japanese dolls dates back to the Haniwa clay images and even earlier to the Hitogata and Amagatsu figures which were used as talismans to ward off calamity in later periods. The gradual development of these primitive figures eventually resulted in the guardian type figures identified with Japanese dolls today. Historically, since the early stages of Japanese civilization dolls have traditionally been passed on from person to person, and handed down from generation to generation.
During the Heian Period (794-1185), playing house with dolls became a popular past time among the children of the nobility. This identification of dolls with children can be seen to be the origin of the Kyo Ningyo or Kyoto Dolls, which eventually came to be a national archetype for the Japanese dolls.
In the Edo period (1600-1868), Japan underwent a great political and economic shift when its center shifted to Edo (Tokyo) and the Tokugawa shoguns became the new figureheads of society. However, dolls, unlike so many other traditions, remained centered in Kyoto. This was probably due to the way they were closely identified with the imperial family, who continued to live in Kyoto until the end of the Edo period.
As the middle class rapidly grew in power and size, the number of doll makers in Kyoto increased rapidly. And as the annual doll festival for Hina Matsuri (March 3rd) season approached, many kinds of dolls could be seen displayed in the front windows of doll makers' shops throughout Kyoto. In the mid 18th century, the costumes of the nobility were increasingly copied and used for the clothing the dolls wore. These types of dolls are known as the Yusoku-bina, and they had a great influence on style of dolls that followed.
In the time-honored Kyoto Dolls manufacturing process, the doll creation process is strictly divided in terms of who does what. Generally, a different craft household is responsible for making the head, attaching the hair, and adding the limbs, accessories and costumes. Each process involves a line of traditional artisans with many, many years of experience. This high-level and specialized production system has contributed greatly to giving the dolls their unique characteristics and individuality presence. In terms of quality, Kyoto Dolls are famous for their remarkable durability, which very often extends up to four generations. All of these remarkable qualities are the result of the refined and specialized craft techniques that cooperate to make these dolls, and the severe attention paid to quality that allows for nothing less than perfection.
Making Japanese dolls since 1833
Shimazu Corporation
Established in 1833, Shimazu dolls are prized for their refined and elegant period costumes. Shimazu specializes in Kyoto Gosho (Imperial Palace) style hina ningyo dolls, which are always arranged with the emperor (odairi-sama) doll on the right and empress (ohina-sama) doll on the left. This is how the emperor and empress sat in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, facing south, in the days of old.
Shimazu believes strongly in keeping traditional family values alive and strong. Children are a family treasure, and marking the passing seasons and years has long been an Japanese important rite for the protection of children. Since Shimazu became the largest doll company in Japan, as well as a symbol of the Kyoto's Yusoku Ningyo Doll tradition, they have increasingly tried to adapt doll displays to modern lifestyles.
Open: 10:00-18:00; on the east side of Takakura, south of Shijo; Tel: 075-341-1181; http://www.kyoto-shimazu.com/
Momo
The flower of happiness for girls
Momo or peach tree, its exquisite flowers, and its delicious fruit are all symbolic of Japan. For many, unfortunately, the tree is very difficult to distinguish from the plum (ume), which is much more common.
The flowers of the peach tree symbolize the happiness of marriage and the feminine traits of gentility, composure and tranquility. Since ancient times, the flower has been placed on the highest level of the Hina Matsuri doll display during the festival. Peach blossoms can be seen in all their splendor on the west side of the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds sometime in March.
A relaxing afternoon under the fine trees in this orchard is ideal for a picnic on a warm day. Hokyo-ji Temple (on Teranouchi, a few meters east of Horikawa) also has some splendid specimens. This temple is also closely connected with Hina Matsuri Festival.
In the realm of the fairytale, the momo plays a special role as the place from which Momotaro (the Peach Boy) born from. Historically, ''Peach Mountain'' or Momoyama was the name of the castle, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537-1598), the pleasure-loving general gave to his southern Kyoto castle and the area around it. A whole historical period, the Momoyama period (1580-1600), considered to be one of Japan's mostly colorful and artistically original, is named after this castle.
Foods for Girl's Day
When we have a special occasion, like a celebration or festival, there must be special dishes. These dishes and foods are enjoyed only at these special times and often have considerable histories and stories behind them. Here are some foods that you can only eat in March as part of the Hina Matsuri Festival.
Hishimochi
Hishimochi is a diamond-shaped rice cake, usually made of white, pink and green layers. Its origin is believed to go back to the hishimochi which court nobles placed atop a round mochi rice cake as a New Year offering to the gods. Through time, it became the custom to offer standard round mochi only for the Japanese New Year and to use the original hishimochi only for the Doll's Festival or Hina Matsuri.
The original hishimochi were made of healthy vegetables such as hahako-gusa (cottonweed), and takana (a leafy spinach-like vegetable). However from some time in the Muromachi Period (1338-1573) only mugwort has been used. Kusa-mochi, a dumpling consisting of non-glutinous rice flour and mugwort filled with sweet-bean paste is another popular variation served during Hina Matsuri..
Shirozake
Shirozake is a milky drink made of unfiltered sake that still contains rice malt. Its origin is unknown, however, according to Toshimaya, a Tokyo-based shirozake maker, about 350 years ago, the firm's first president, had a dream in which God told him to make the drink. In those days, sake wasn't popular with women, but because shirozake is sweet it became popular with women and thus the connection to the Hina Matsuri Festival.
The drink is also associated with the Doll's Festival because early spring is when the first batch of the year of shirozake is made. In addition, the white of the shirozake is said to contrast perfectly with the red of the peach blossom which is placed on the hinadan (the tiered arrangement of dolls displayed in homes). Indeed, red is the dominant Hina Matsuri color. Red and white are the traditional colors of celebration in Japan.
Hina-arare
Hina arare are a kind of crunchy, balloon-shaped cracker which are sometimes covered with sugar. Common varieties are shiro-maru, fusen, shiro-mine, and kuro-mame.
Though the origins of this snack are unclear, Japan's largest cracker maker, Toyosu, says that in the old days the rice cakes of the New Year were turned into rice biscuits in late February or early March, which eventually led to the creation of today's arare and their connection to the Doll's Festival. Since rice leftovers were originally used to make this treat (now rice flour is used), hina arare also are symbolic of the economic thrift of a good wife.