Hina ningyo
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Photo courtesy L'Asie Exotique
Hina-ningyo also known as "small and lovely" or Girl's Day dolls:
Girl's Day (Hina-matsuri) is celebrated on the third day of the third month. The origins of the festival dates back thousands of
years with purification rituals at their heart. The purification tradition was to remove evil influences and insure the health of the
emperor, the state, the family and, later, children for the coming year. The display itself is a mock up of an imperial wedding
complete with all the fertility and cleansing symbolism found in Western weddings. As with many rituals and festivals in Asia,
Europe and America, over the centuries the meanings have been modified to adapt to current thought to the point that the
original concepts have been lost. Also with many Western festivals, this one was imported from another country, in this case
China.
The key figuews in the Hina Day Celebration are the Dairi-bina or Lord and Lady.
Dairi-bina, or lord and lady. A pair of Inu-bako
(dog boxes) completed the display when all
were set out on a raised diaz (hina-dan)
covered in red felt. Initially made of
folded paper, during the Edo period the
hina matsouri expanded to the fifteen
characters made of wood covered gofun
set on the platforms with folding screens
behind. The gradually added accesories
(dogu) were included to insure the
comfort of the lord and lady. The pair
of dolls were the temporary home of the
gods invited to visit and purify the home.
While the stoic Dairi-bina, such as those shown above, are the principle figures in the Girls Day Festival, thirteen other key figures have
been added over the years. They are, in order of the display:
San'nin kanjo or three ladies in waiting were included in the display circa 1700. The ladies in waiting were from noble families
and supported the noble house in general and the emperor and empress specifically. These ladies attended to the personal
needs of the emperor and empress, guarding and entertaining their assigned charge. They oversaw the running of the palace,
protected prize possessions, served as messengers, recorded events of the palace and serving as representatives of the court.
They are usually represented in doll form as three ladies, two with long sleeves, one with short sleeves. Their robes are usually
white with red trousers. The trousers were longer than the ankle so that the ladies had to shuffle as they walked.
Zuishin or ministers of the left and right represent guards to the north and south of the similar to those at the entrance gate to
the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. They became a part of the display circa 1700. They are seated facing west. The minister on the
right or the south side of the gate is an elderly man while the minister on the left or the north side of the gate is a young man.
Both are dressed in courtier outfits with court caps. The caps have horsehair sides or blinders attached to the chin strap.
They have quivers on their backs, and bow in their hands or across their laps. The older gentleman is usually dressed in black
and his mouth is open while the younger one is usually dressed in red and his mouth is closed.
Gonin-bayashi or five musicians appeared to be the first expansion of the initial ningyo figures in the display by approximately
1780s. One set of musicians can be traced directly back to Shugetsu, creator of the Kokin-bina. The five musicians were
designed based upon the Noh ensemble, performers of music for the upper class. The instruments usually included a taiko or
large drum, an otsuzumi or hourglass drum played at the hip, a katsuzui or hourglass drum played at the right shoulder, a nokan
or flute and a chanter. Other instruments may be substituted on occasion. The musicians, though they look female to most
Westerners, are traditionally male. The costuming and unique hairstyle indicate gender (the hair was shaved at the pate with a
silk or human hair topknot over the shaved area). Facial expression is generally animated.
Shicho or three footmen are seen in woodblock prints from the 1850s forward. The are the only "common" folk in the display,
usually with unshaven faces, darkened legs, and barefoot or with sandals. They generally are dressed as servants with white
outer clothes and black caps. They may be seen with brooms, tea kettle and other tea utensils. Instead. they may carry items
for the lord including lacquered shoes, ceremonial parasol and covered spear. Facial expression depicts "three stages of
intoxication" including the happy drunk, the sad drunk, and the angry drunk. One of the faces, usually the happy one, is often
depicted as an elderly servant.
Inu-bako or 2 boxes in the form of dogs,
Girl's Day (Hina-matsuri) is celebrated on the third day of the third month. The origins of the festival dates back thousands of
years with purification rituals at their heart. The purification tradition was to remove evil influences and insure the health of the
emperor, the state, the family and, later, children for the coming year. The display itself is a mock up of an imperial wedding
complete with all the fertility and cleansing symbolism found in Western weddings. As with many rituals and festivals in Asia,
Europe and America, over the centuries the meanings have been modified to adapt to current thought to the point that the
original concepts have been lost. Also with many Western festivals, this one was imported from another country, in this case
China.
The key figuews in the Hina Day Celebration are the Dairi-bina or Lord and Lady.
Dairi-bina, or lord and lady. A pair of Inu-bako
(dog boxes) completed the display when all
were set out on a raised diaz (hina-dan)
covered in red felt. Initially made of
folded paper, during the Edo period the
hina matsouri expanded to the fifteen
characters made of wood covered gofun
set on the platforms with folding screens
behind. The gradually added accesories
(dogu) were included to insure the
comfort of the lord and lady. The pair
of dolls were the temporary home of the
gods invited to visit and purify the home.
While the stoic Dairi-bina, such as those shown above, are the principle figures in the Girls Day Festival, thirteen other key figures have
been added over the years. They are, in order of the display:
San'nin kanjo or three ladies in waiting were included in the display circa 1700. The ladies in waiting were from noble families
and supported the noble house in general and the emperor and empress specifically. These ladies attended to the personal
needs of the emperor and empress, guarding and entertaining their assigned charge. They oversaw the running of the palace,
protected prize possessions, served as messengers, recorded events of the palace and serving as representatives of the court.
They are usually represented in doll form as three ladies, two with long sleeves, one with short sleeves. Their robes are usually
white with red trousers. The trousers were longer than the ankle so that the ladies had to shuffle as they walked.
Zuishin or ministers of the left and right represent guards to the north and south of the similar to those at the entrance gate to
the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. They became a part of the display circa 1700. They are seated facing west. The minister on the
right or the south side of the gate is an elderly man while the minister on the left or the north side of the gate is a young man.
Both are dressed in courtier outfits with court caps. The caps have horsehair sides or blinders attached to the chin strap.
They have quivers on their backs, and bow in their hands or across their laps. The older gentleman is usually dressed in black
and his mouth is open while the younger one is usually dressed in red and his mouth is closed.
Gonin-bayashi or five musicians appeared to be the first expansion of the initial ningyo figures in the display by approximately
1780s. One set of musicians can be traced directly back to Shugetsu, creator of the Kokin-bina. The five musicians were
designed based upon the Noh ensemble, performers of music for the upper class. The instruments usually included a taiko or
large drum, an otsuzumi or hourglass drum played at the hip, a katsuzui or hourglass drum played at the right shoulder, a nokan
or flute and a chanter. Other instruments may be substituted on occasion. The musicians, though they look female to most
Westerners, are traditionally male. The costuming and unique hairstyle indicate gender (the hair was shaved at the pate with a
silk or human hair topknot over the shaved area). Facial expression is generally animated.
Shicho or three footmen are seen in woodblock prints from the 1850s forward. The are the only "common" folk in the display,
usually with unshaven faces, darkened legs, and barefoot or with sandals. They generally are dressed as servants with white
outer clothes and black caps. They may be seen with brooms, tea kettle and other tea utensils. Instead. they may carry items
for the lord including lacquered shoes, ceremonial parasol and covered spear. Facial expression depicts "three stages of
intoxication" including the happy drunk, the sad drunk, and the angry drunk. One of the faces, usually the happy one, is often
depicted as an elderly servant.
Inu-bako or 2 boxes in the form of dogs,
Traditions that cross generations are subject to modifications as each generation modifies the meanings and their expression
with current technology, symbolism and adjustments to the prevailing social priorities. Traditions that cross millenia become an
historical record of those modifications. Hina dolls are no exception. Adaptations to current trends are most noticable in the evolution
of the Dairi-bina as shown in the following table.
with current technology, symbolism and adjustments to the prevailing social priorities. Traditions that cross millenia become an
historical record of those modifications. Hina dolls are no exception. Adaptations to current trends are most noticable in the evolution
of the Dairi-bina as shown in the following table.
Photo courtesy of L'Asia Exportique
Photo courtesy L'Asia Exportique
Photo courtesy of L'Asia Exportique