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History of Yusoku Hina Ningyo Dolls

Origin of the Girl's Festival

This custom originated in ancient China three thousand years ago. According to the
Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang, the first day of mi (serpent) in March was
regarded as an inauspicious day. It is said that people used to wash their hands and
feet in a river or the sea as a way of escaping misfortune on that day.

During that time in China, people also practiced the "katashiro (a paper image) faith",
attempting to protect themselves by entrusting their impurity to human images made
of paper or grass. These two rituals were combined and became an annual event
called Mi-no-hi-no-harae (purification on the day of the Serpent). This is the origin of
the Joshi-no-Sekku Ritual.

With the commencement of cultural interchange with China, this custom was brought
to Japan in ancient times where people stroked their bodies with katashiro images,
onto which they transferred their impurity and evil, setting them adrift on rivers and
the sea on the day of the Serpent in March. The name katashiro was also called
"hitogata (shape of man)" which later became the term "ningyo (doll)" of today. In
some regions of Japan, for example, Tottori and Wakayama Prefectures, events during
which dolls are set adrift on the water are still practiced today. This is certainly a
vestige of the ancient Chinese ritual.

The reason why the event, originally held on the first day of mi in March, later came
to be held on the third of March is because it was influenced by the Chinese idea that
the day matching the number of the month, such as the fifth of May or seventh of July
was a cause for celebration.

Hiina-Asobi (Playing with Hina dolls)

During the Heian period (794-1180), playing with dolls was called hiina-asobi and
was very popular not only among young girls but also adult women of the nobility.
The term "hiina" derived from an old diminutive used for small and charming things
and meant a doll in those days.

This play consisted mainly of a pair of female and male dolls together with some
miniature furniture and household effects. Naturally, the month of March was not the
 only time when people played this. Mention of the hiina and hiina-asobi often appears
in literature of the Heian period. For example, in the "Tale of Genji" there is a
description of young ladies being absorbed in such play on New Year's Day, while in
a collection of poems by Emperor Murakami (926-967), he wrote about hiina-asobi
on the Tanabata Star Festival Day, the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar
calendar. These examples alone prove how much such play was loved and enjoyed
among the nobility in their daily lives.

In the "Pillow Book" by Seisho Nagon, the first known Japanese essay, hiina is
defined as a term to describe beautiful and charming objects. Furthermore, the
"Gossamer Years", a diary by a noblewoman of that period, describes how court
ladies sewed and dressed costumes on hiina dolls, from which we can imagine how
much they enjoyed such activity.

It is said that the hiina doll, which was hand-made by the court ladies, began to be
made professionally by the sculptors of Buddhist images or noh masks during the
Muromachi period (1333-1573), following the introduction of aleurone (whitewash)
to doll making. Before the Heian period, hiina-asobi had been just like the children's
game of playing house of today. This may not have led immediately to the present
Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival or Girl's Festival), however one can say that the festival
originated in the hiina-asobi as a form of girl's play.

The Hina Matsuri is today an established regular annual event, integrating this hiina-
asobi and the Serpent Day Ritual. From the Edo period (1600-1867) and thereafter,
the term "hiina" became "hina".

Chapter 2

Development of the Girl's Festival

As the culture attained full maturity, the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival or Girl's
Festival) gradually became more elaborate. Towards the middle of the Edo period,
dolls representing a noble male and female couple of the Imperial Court dressed in
formal costumes and in a sitting position, became popular in Kyoto and spread
throughout Japan. The pair was called "Dairi (Emperor and Empress)-bina", as they
were both dressed in miniature Imperial costumes. The reason why the hina doll is
also called Dairi-bina today, is because as a form it descended from this Emperor and
Empress style.

Furthermore, upon reaching the middle of the Edo period, the Hina Matsuri grew even
more opulent, with additional dolls and furniture being decorated in tiers together
with the Emperor and Empress dolls, and paper hina dolls.

In those days, the festival display in Kyoto and Osaka, consisted of a two-tiered stand;
the upper tier consisted of ornaments such as a palace with the Emperor and Empress
dolls in it, paper hina dolls and other court officials, ladies and guard dolls, miniature
cherry and mandarin orange trees, paper dogs and dolls in fashionable costumes.
 While the lower tier consisted of some furniture, a court carriage, kitchen utensils,
candlestands, individual tables with rice cakes and white sake.

Meanwhile the display was even more elaborate in Tokyo, having three- or four-tier
stands. The main dolls were similar to those of Kyoto and Osaka, but instead of a
palace, a folding screen stood behind the Emperor and Empress dolls, while other
popular figures, such as five musicians, gods and priests, dolls in fashionable
costumes, mechanical toys, and a sacred horse and crane, replaced the court officials,
ladies and guard dolls.

Hina Dolls as a Gift

It was during the middle of the Edo period that the Hina Matsuri took root as an event
to celebrate a girl's birth on the third of March of her first year. Along with this, the
custom of giving hina dolls became popular; the dolls together with other gifts were
placed on a palanquin and carried to the girl's family. A genre literature of those days
depicted in detail how such a palanquin should be prepared, what it should contain
and so on. A drawing of the Edo period also shows a picture of a palanquin loaded
with hina dolls and their accessories carried by two men, while being accompanied by
a lady attendant. Since about this time, another custom of including a set of hina dolls
in a bride's trousseau, and holding a Hina Matsuri on the first third of March of her
marriage at the home of the family into which she had married, was practiced.

The hina dolls made in Kyoto were called Kyo-bina and were considered to be the
highest quality in Japan, while the Kyoto style was adopted for celebration. Although
the sitting position of the Emperor and Empress dolls differs between Kyoto and the
Tokyo region today, the Kyoto style prevailed in those days, which reveals that the
real essence of hina dolls originated in Kyoto.

Chapter 3

Yusoku-bina of Kyoto
Muromachi-bina The Oldest Sitting Hina Dolls

Hina dolls are broadly divided into two styles, those in a sitting position and those
standing. Those in the standing position are a vestige of the "hiina" of the Heian
period, which were not intended to be displayed in the standing position and in fact
even when people began to display hina dolls during the Edo period, they were simply
placed leaning against the folding screen. In this style, the female doll was dressed in
kosode (short-sleeved kimono) with narrow obi (sash) and the male doll in kosode
and hakama (formal divided skirt), and had outstretched arms.

With the spreading custom of displaying dolls for the Girl's Festival on the third of
March, hina dolls in the sitting position were produced which gradually became the
prevailing style. One of the early examples of this type was called Muromachi-bina;
the male doll was dressed in noshi (everyday formal wear) with white silk hakama
skirt, while the female doll, whose arms were outstretched wore a red silk hakama
skirt, featuring round-faced dolls, which were supposed to resemble the Amagatsu
 doll, known as the origin of the present day Japanese doll. The name "Muromachi"
represented the fact that they were in the classical style, not that they were made
during that period.

Since then, hina dolls in a sitting position have been continually made in various
styles named Jirozaemon-bina, Genroku-bina, Kyoho-bina, Yusoku-bina, Kokin-bina
and others to the present day. Influenced by their historical background since the
Heian period, hina dolls were primarily produced in Kyoto, and regarded as being of
the finest quality.

Yusoku-bina Representing the Orthodoxy of Court Culture

At the time when Jirozaemon-bina was enjoying steady popularity, a new type of hina
doll appeared in Kyoto. They were called Yusoku-bina as they were crafted by the
yusoku method by which accurate historical evidence concerning the costumes of the
court was ascertained. They were also known as Takakura-bina named after the
Takakura family, the established connoisseur of yusoku knowledge who served the
Imperial Palace.

Placing emphasis on the observation of historical facts, the Yusoku-bina was made
very realistic in all respects, including the facial features. In terms of costume, ikan
(simplified sokutai) or noshi of the court were often used rather than the sokutai
(ceremonial dress). The fabrics were specially woven in accordance with court rank,
age and the season, without being simply limited to gold brocade. For example, in the
case of the noshi, the style for winter was selected as the Hina Matsuri and was held
in March (of the lunar calendar). The costume was tailored based on the design for
those under thirty years of age, by employing white with deep purple or red colored
lining.

However, as these Yusoku-bina were originally produced for the nobility, they did not
become popular among the general public. Nonetheless, they provided the later hina
dolls with an example to follow concerning their realistic style.

Chapter 4

Style of the Hina Display

Today the largest hina doll display consists of seven tiers, unlike that of the early Edo
period when the festival spread throughout Japan. It was common in those days to
display hina dolls in sitting and standing positions on a flat platform placed in front of
a folding screen standing in the corner of a room. As the festival became more
elaborate, while being established as a celebratory occasion for girls, the display
became more opulent and the number of tiers increased.

One can learn from haiku poems of the middle of the Edo period, that such gorgeous
displays already existed at that time. There is also a drawing of the same period which
depicts common people who could not afford large houses temporarily using the
 draws of a chest to replace the hina doll display stands. Other literature depicts a wall-
closet that was used as a display stand by those who lived in row houses. These ideas
represent the wisdom of living, which proves that the festival was enjoyed by a broad
range of families.

An illustration in the "Japanese Calendar of the Seasons" of the Edo period, shows
men participating in a cockfight outdoors on the day of the Hina Matsuri, which was
also a part of the event. With the spread of the festival among the common people,
other customs such as hina doll viewing in which children made a tour by visiting
houses which had hina doll displays, and hina arashi to collect Hina Matsuri sweets,
took root in society.

Three Court ladies, Five Court Musicians and Guards

Three court lady dolls are displayed on the second tier from the top of the stand below
the Emperor and Empress dolls on the first. The sitting lady in the center holds a sake
cup stand while two standing ladies on her left and right hold a long-handled ladle and
sake server respectively. On the third stand, there are dolls representing five
musicians sitting in the same order as the noh theater accompaniment. From right to
left; a vocalist holding a folding fan, a flutist, a small hand drummer in the center, a
large hand drummer and a taiko drummer. It is said that the five musicians were
introduced in Tokyo in 1780. On the fourth tier, Kyoto style court guards are
displayed. The Imperial Palace called the guards who defended the east side Sakon-e
(soldier at the left), and those who defended the west Ukon-e (soldier at the right),
according to positioning based on the fact that the Emperor faced to the south. The
Sakon-e fourth rank guard doll, representing an elder man is dressed in black, and the
Ukon-e fifth rank guard doll in red. The display also includes three retainer soldiers
below these guards.

These seven-tier stand hina doll displays became widely common in and after the
middle of the Edo period. By thoroughly understanding the meanings of individual
displays, one can learn the wishes of the people who entrusted them to the Hina
Matsuri.

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