Yurihonjo Hinakaido Festival - part 2

As I wrote in the previous post, on 6th March hubby and I went to see Yurihonjo Hinakaido doll festival in Yurihonjo City of Akita prefecture. The Japanese doll festival Hinamatsuri is held on 3rd March every year when families with daughters display a set of ornamental dolls at home. While Hinamatsuri is a private display of Hina dolls at homes, we visited a public display of Hina dolls, some of which were antique and dated back a few hundred years. We went to see the doll festival at a public exhibition hall named Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan Museum in the city. We saw the exhibition of several types of exquisite and beautiful Hina doll sets in one of the rooms of the museum. In fact, there was a display of ten sets of antique dolls, and we moved inside the room in a clockwise direction and enjoyed seeing the doll sets one at a time. In the previous post, I wrote about six doll sets, and in this post I will write about the remaining ones.

Hina dolls of Mikuniya-ke

The seventh set of Hina dolls on display belongs to the family (ke in Japanese) of Mikuniya of Taruyama town in Akita City. The ancestors of the family migrated to this town from a place called Mikuni-go located in present-day Fukui prefecture, which led to the family being called Mikuniya. Later on Mikuniya-ke were involved in the wholesale business of small cargo vessels. The family is now involved in the sales business of Kimono clothes since previous generation. The displayed Hina doll set was bought by Mikuniya-ke in the middle of Meiji period. Such a doll set was very rare in those days, and the neighborhood kids visited Mikuniya-ke to see the dolls. All the dolls were displayed in four platforms at the hall. The imperial (Dairibina) dolls consisting of emperor (Obina or Odairisama) and empress (Mebina or Ohinasama) dolls were displayed on the topmost platform. These Dairibina dolls were of the type Kokinbina. On the back of the box case where these Dairibina dolls are usually kept, it is written that these dolls were made by Iwase Keisan. In addition, a set of five male dolls representing Gonin Bayashi musicians were displayed on the left side of the second (from top) platform and six female dolls representing two sets of three court ladies Sannin Kanjo were displayed on the right side of the second platform. A beautiful folding screen with a colorful drawing of a farm field was displayed behind the Dairibina dolls. Such a drawing was to wish for a good harvest. Along with the Hina dolls, various additional dolls were also displayed in the third and the fourth platforms. For the sake of brevity, I will discuss about these two lower platforms by dividing them into the left and the right side. On the left side of the third platform, one of the two court ministers and two Kasamochi (umbrella carrier) dolls were displayed. On the right side of the third platform, Sake Kanjo (a lady bearing a long handled Sake serving scoop) doll, a standing female doll in beautiful gorgeous Kimono, and the other court minister doll were displayed. On the left side of the forth platform, a doll set of Urashima and Otohime and another doll set of Ni-nin San-ba (two people and three crows) were displayed. On the right side of the fourth platform, a doll set of Shitakiri Suzume and two doll sets of Chinbiki Kanjo were displayed. Amongst all these additional dolls, I was very intrigued by the two doll sets of Chinbiki Kanjo where a young court lady was holding the leash of Chin dog, a Japanese spaniel. Such a doll was a popular addition to the Hina doll sets from mid Meiji period (1900) to 1930, and was displayed to wish women an easy and healthy delivery of babies. Chin dogs have been in existence in Japan as early as 7th to 8th century. They were rare dogs and were favored by the very upper class until recent years. The red colored cape and the black and white hair of the dog matched with the court lady’s gorgeous clothes having hand crafted embroidery. The red colored leash added to the beauty of the Chinbiki Kanjo dolls. Most of these additional dolls were collected by Mikuniya-ke from Meiji period to the beginning of Showa period. This Hina doll set was one of the most interesting doll set I have ever seen.

Hina dolls of Mikuniya-ke

I am standing in front of the doll set of Mikuniya-ke

Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls of Mikuniya-ke and a folding screen with a colorful drawing of a farm field displayed behind the dolls

Empress (Ohinasama) doll of Mikuniya-ke

Emperor (Odairisama) doll of Mikuniya-ke

Five male musicians Gonin Bayashi displayed on the left side of the second platform and two sets of three court ladies Sannin Kanjo displayed on the right side of the second platform

Dolls of a court minister (1) and two Kasamochi umbrella carriers (2 and 3) displayed on the left side of the third platform, and dolls of Sake Kanjo (4), a standing female in Kimono (5), and the other court minister (6) displayed on the right side of the third platform

Doll sets of Urashima and Otohime (1) and Ni-nin San-ba (2) displayed on the left side of the fourth platform, and doll sets of Shitakiri Suzume (3) and Chinbiki Kanjo (4 and 5) displayed on the right side of the fourth platform

Hina dolls of Suzuki-ke

The eighth set of Hina dolls on display belongs to Suzuki-ke (Suzuki Family) of Omoteozakimachi town. The set consisted of a complete Hina doll house. These Hina dolls are called Gotenbina or ‘palace type Hina dolls’ and were displayed inside a miniature wooden model of the ceremonial building Shishinden Hall of Kyoto Imperial Palace. Gotenbina dolls were very popular among wealthy families from the late Meiji period to early Showa period. The displayed Hina doll set is usually kept in the storage of Suzuki-ke. There is a story transmitted by word of mouth regarding these Gotenbina dolls. It is said that this Hina doll set was bestowed upon an imperial court lady Nyokan during her retirement from service at the Imperial Palace. Afterwards, this doll set was bequeathed to Suzuki-ke who were engaged in wood industry and could take good care of the miniature wooden Shishinden Hall. On the box case where this Hina doll set is usually kept, ‘Ichiin Sai Ohno Bokuou’ is written with Sumi ink, which is probably the name of the person who made this doll set. This Hina doll set is considered to be made at the end of Edo period. The displayed miniature Shishinden Hall consisted of a number of components that were carefully produced with great details using paulownia wood. The advanced technique of Nejigumi was used in the framework. This technique supports the entire framework without the usage of any nails. Shishinden Hall was constructed in Sanden-zukuri architectural style, and had a very precise structure and looked very gorgeous. It consisted of three halls, namely, the central Seiden Hall, Sogakuden Hall on the left side, and Wakiden Hall on the right side. The adjacent Wakiden Hall was connected to the Seiden Hall by a roofed corridor Kokairo. The roof of Shishinden Hall had the emblem of chrysanthemum with 16 petals which is the Imperial seal of Japan. All the Hina dolls were displayed inside or around Shishinden Hall. Imperial Dairibina dolls were placed in the central Seiden Hall. These imperial dolls were of the type Kokinbina. These Dairibina dolls had traditional elegant faces and were wearing gorgeous Kimono. Five male musicians Gonin Bayashi were placed in Sogakuden Hall, and prince and princess dolls were placed in Wakiden Hall. Two sets of three court ladies Sannin Kanjo were also displayed. One set was displayed right outside the Seiden Hall in the verandah and two dolls of the other set were displayed in the Kokairo corridor. Three Samurai helpers were displayed on the ground in front of Seiden Hall and the two court ministers were displayed on the ground in front of Wakiden Hall. I loved this Hina doll set of Suzuki-ke very much.

Gotenbina doll set of Suzuki-ke

Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls placed inside Seiden Hall

Imperial Dairibina dolls and one set of three Sannin Kanjo dolls placed in Seiden Hall

Two more dolls of another Sannin Kanjo set standing in Kokairo corridor

Gonin Bayashi dolls located inside Sogakuden Hall

Prince and princess dolls (hardly visible) placed inside Wakiden Hall

Three Samurai helpers displayed in front of Seiden Hall

Enlarged view of one of the Samurai helpers

Two court ministers displayed in front of Wakiden Hall

Enlarged view of one of the court ministers

Hina dolls of Yosenji Temple

Next we saw two Hina doll sets (ninth and tenth sets) and many other interesting dolls and accessories displayed in the hall. These two doll sets are usually kept inside Yosenji Temple located in Yurihonjo City and are the property of the temple. These doll sets originally belonged to the daughter named Yoshiko of the eleventh feudal lord Rokugo Masaakira (also called Masakane) of Honjo Domain of Dewa province. The feudal lord presented these doll sets to his daughter on the occasion of her marriage celebrations. These dolls were donated to Yosenji Temple by the descendants of Yoshiko in 1998. Yosenji is the family temple of Rokugo Family. So the temple has now become the home of two beautiful sets of Hina dolls with a total of 37 dolls and about 200 Hina Dougu (tools and accessories). All the dolls were displayed in four platforms at the hall. Two sets of imperial Dairibina dolls were displayed on the topmost platform. Both the sets were of the type Kokinbina and were probably made sometime during the very end of Edo period or the beginning of Meiji period. Both these sets of Dairibina dolls were small in size and I loved them very much. Both the empress Ohinasama dolls were dressed in Itsutsuginu robe and Karaginu top with rich silk brocades, and sported elaborate metal crowns. Both the emperor Odairisama dolls were wearing equally luxurious Sokutai Kimono. These Dairibina dolls had noble faces that were beautifully crafted with delightful animated expressions. These dolls were simply fabulous. Along with the two sets of imperial Dairibina dolls, various other dolls were also displayed on the lower three platforms. For the sake of brevity, I will discuss about these three platforms by dividing them into the left and the right side. Two sets of five male musicians Gonin Bayashi were displayed on the second (from top) platform, one set on the left side and the other on the right side. One of the ministers from a set of two court ministers, a second set of two court ministers, and two of the three Sannin Kanjo dolls were displayed on the left side of the third platform. The third Sannin Kanjo, a pair of female and male dolls in gorgeous Kimono, and the other minister from the first set of the two court ministers were displayed on the right side of the third platform. Many interesting Hina Dougu were displayed on the fourth platform. These Hina Dougu were miniature versions with high quality intricate designs, elaborate details, and were decorated with black and gold lacquer.

Hina dolls of Yosenji Temple

Left side of the display of Hina dolls of Yosenji Temple

Right side of the display of Hina dolls of Yosenji Temple

First set of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls displayed on the left side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Second set of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls displayed on the right side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Elegant and noble face of the empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Noble facial expression of the emperor Odairisama doll

Two sets of five male musicians Gonin Bayashi dolls displayed on the left and the right side of the second platform

A court minister from the first set of two court ministers (1), a second set of two court ministers (2 and 3), and two of the three Sannin Kanjo dolls (4 and 5) were displayed on the left side of the third platform. The third Sannin Kanjo (6), a pair of female and male dolls (7 and 8), and the other minister from the first set of the two court ministers (9) were displayed on the right side of the third platform.

Hina Dougu tools and accessories displayed on left side and the right side of the fourth platform

Kokinbina collection of Takahashi Jun

Finally we saw a wonderful collection of Kokinbina Hina dolls that belongs to a person named Takahashi Jun of Chokai region in Yurihonjo City. Mr. Takahashi was inspired by an annual event named ‘Minato Sakata no Hinameguri’ held in Sakata City of Yamagata prefecture, and started collecting various kinds of Kokinbina Hina dolls. He made this doll collection in a little over ten years, and all the Kokinbina Hina dolls are from the end of Edo period. The eyes and the facial expressions of all the Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls were very attractive, and their Kimono clothes were spectacular. The Kimono of the empress Ohinasama dolls had gorgeous embroidered and brocaded Sode sleeves and Eri collars. The displayed collection had two types of Kokinbina dolls, namely, the Kyoto-style and the Tokyo-style (Edo-style). Kyoto-style Kokinbina had narrow carved eyes, were broad shouldered, and the hands of the empress Ohinasama dolls could be seen peeping out of the Sode sleeves of Kimono. Tokyo-style Kokinbina had eyes made of glass, were open mouthed, and the hands of empress Ohinasama dolls were hidden inside Sode sleeves that were arranged on the knees. All the Hina dolls were displayed in three platforms inside a display case at the hall. Six pairs of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls were displayed on the top two platforms, with two pairs on the topmost platform and four pairs on the second platform. It was very interesting to note that the Tokyo-style Kokinbina Dairibina dolls displayed on the left side of the topmost platform were looking upwards. Such dolls are very rare and hardly seen. In addition, dolls of five male musicians Gonin Bayashi, three court ladies Sannin Kanjo, and two court ministers were displayed on the lowest platform. We also saw a beautiful Sagemon displayed on the left side of the dolls display case. Sagemon was collected from Fukuoka prefecture, and consisted of a stringed hanging decoration with various kinds of handmade cute small hanging dolls and Temari. The dolls and Temari made of cloth were very colorful and glamorous.

Display of the collection of Kokinbina Hina dolls of Takahashi Jun

First set of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls of Tokyo-style displayed on the left side of the topmost platform were looking upwards

Second set of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls of Kyoto-style displayed on the right side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll of the above second set had narrow carved eyes and beautiful facial expression

Third set of Kokinbina Dairibina dolls of Tokyo-style displayed on the left side of the second platform

Fourth set of Kokinbina Dairibina dolls of Kyoto-style displayed on the left side of the second platform

Fifth set of Kokinbina Dairibina dolls of Kyoto-style displayed on the right side of the second platform

Sixth set of Kokinbina Dairibina dolls of Kyoto-style displayed on the right side of the second platform

Dolls of five male musicians Gonin Bayashi, three Sannin Kanjo, and two court ministers displayed on the lowest platform

I am standing next to a Sagemon

We loved seeing various types of antique and elegant Hina dolls displayed in the exhibition hall of Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan Museum during Yurihonjo Hinakaido Festival.

Yurihonjo Hinakaido Festival - part 1

On 6th March, hubby and I went to see Yurihonjo Hinakaido doll festival in Yurihonjo City of Akita prefecture. The Japanese doll festival Hinamatsuri is held on 3rd March every year. Families with daughters display a set of ornamental dolls representing the emperor and empress (Dairibina), three court ladies (Sannin Kanjo), five male musicians (Gonin Bayashi), two ministers, and three Samurai attendants in traditional court dress of Heian period. The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period, and it was believed that the dolls possessed the power to contain evil spirits. While Hinamatsuri is a private display of Hina dolls at homes, we visited a public display of Hina dolls, some of which were antique and dated back a few hundred years.

Yurihonjo Hinakaido Festival means ‘Yurihonjo City Hina doll route’. It is a public annual traditional doll display event held in the city. The first event was held in 2008, and since then it has been held every year. Yurihonjo Hinakaido Festival encompasses four main areas of Yurihonjo City, namely Iwaki in the north, Ouchi and Honjo in the center, and Yashima in the south. This year, Hina dolls were displayed at six public exhibition halls from 13th February to 3rd April. These public halls are Kameda Castle Sato Yasohachi Art Museum, Iwaki Local History Museum, Ouchi Dewa Denshokan, Yashima Kyodo Bunka Hozon Denshu Shisetsu, Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan Museum, and Shushin-kan Hall in Honjo Park. In addition, Machinaka Hina Meguri Festival takes place in more than 60 different locations within the city where visitors can follow a map and drop by in shops, hotels, a few private homes and offices, and see the display of traditional Hina dolls. This year it was held from 12th March to 21st March in the city. The displayed Hina dolls vary greatly in size, history and style.

On 6th March, hubby and I went to see the display of Hina dolls at Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan Museum, which was one of the six public exhibition halls used for the display of Hina dolls. Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan is located in Yurihonjo City and is a local historical artifacts museum. Ten Hina doll sets containing 100 dolls and 250 sets of related accessories were on display. The museum is located about 1.6 kilometers away from our home and it took us just 5 minutes of car ride to reach in front of the museum. At the entrance area of the museum building, we paid 100 Yen per person as admission fee to enter inside the building. We saw the exhibition of several types of exquisite and beautiful Hina doll sets in one of the rooms of the museum. We moved inside the room in a clockwise direction and enjoyed seeing the antique doll sets one at a time.

Two tickets for admission into the exhibition hall of Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan

Hubby standing inside the exhibition hall with many antique Hina dolls in the background

Hina dolls of Watanabe-ke

The first set of Hina dolls on display belongs to the family (ke in Japanese) of Watanabe Yoshio of Mikuramachi town. On the back of the box case where this doll set is usually kept, the year 1838 is written which is probably the year the dolls were bought. It is also written on the case that the doll set belongs to Jou-un-in. Jou-un-in was the wife of the ninth feudal lord Rokugo Masatsune of Honjo Domain located in Dewa province (present day Akita and Yamagata prefecture) during Edo period. The wife was originally from Ise province and moved to Honjo after marriage to the feudal lord. All the dolls were displayed in three platforms at the hall. The emperor (Obina or Odairisama) and empress (Mebina or Ohinasama) dolls were displayed on the topmost platform. The height of these imperial (Dairibina) dolls was 45 centimeters, which is very large. These Dairibina dolls were of the type Kyohobina. The faces of the dolls were slightly oval and the facial expressions were noble. Odairisama emperor doll was wearing a Sokutai and Ohinasama empress doll was wearing a fascinating five-layered Itsutsuginu robe, Karaginu top, and a swollen orange Hakama skirt. These gorgeous clothes and Kazari (accessory) decorations are one of the salient features of Kyohobina dolls. The gorgeous clothes and the hugeness of these dolls represent the peak of Hinamatsuri Festival during the Edo period. The second platform had the display of five male dolls representing Gonin Bayashi musicians and the third platform had five male dolls representing two ministers and three Samurai attendants.

Hina dolls of Watanabe-ke

Kyohobina imperial Dairibina dolls and the five Gonin Bayashi musician dolls of Watanabe-ke

Empress (Ohinasama) doll of Watanabe-ke

Beautiful facial expression of the empress doll

Emperor (Odairisama) doll of Watanabe-ke

Five Gonin Bayashi dolls (upper platform) and five male dolls representing ministers and Samurai attendants (lower platform) of Watanabe-ke

Jo and Uba dolls

Next we saw a set of ceramic dolls representing Jo (male) and Uba (female) who are an elderly couple from the Noh play Takasago. They are supposed to be the guardians of pine forest. The legend has it that Uba sweeps out the bad and Jo rakes in the good. It is said that the elderly couple brings good luck into a marriage. Although no information was provided about the history of these ceramic dolls, they looked very elegant and respectable.

Jo and Uba ceramic dolls

Hina dolls of Tokioka-ke

The second set of Hina dolls on display belongs to Tokioka-ke (Tokioka Family) of Mikuramachi town. Tokioka Family members were Shugenja who undertook ascetic practices at a mountain temple named Kihozan Jokakuji located in the town. The temple was founded by feudal lord Tateoka Mitsushige of Honjo Domain in 1610 but now it is in ruins and only the gravestones in the temple premises remain. The displayed Hina doll set at the hall is usually kept in the storage of Tokioka-ke. The doll set was brought into the family by a bride of Tokioka-ke. On the back of the box case where this doll set is usually kept, the year 1869 is written which is probably the year the dolls were bought. So this doll set was probably made sometime during the end of Edo period and the beginning of Meiji period. The name Takahashi Kahei is also written on the case which indicates that he is probably the maker of the doll set. All the dolls were displayed in two platforms at the hall. The imperial Dairibina dolls were displayed on the top platform. These imperial dolls were of the type Kokinbina and had traditional elegant faces with clear eyes. In addition, five male musicians Gonin Bayashi were displayed on the second platform. Every year this doll set is carefully exhibited in Tokioka-ke during the Hinamatsuri Festival.

Hina doll set of Tokioka-ke consisting of Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls and five Gonin Bayashi musician dolls

Kokinbina imperial Dairibina dolls of Tokioka-ke

Empress (Ohinasama) doll of Tokioka-ke

Empress doll had an elegant face with clear eyes

Emperor (Odairisama) doll of Tokioka-ke

Hina dolls of Kosaka-ke

Next, we saw two Hina doll sets (third and fourth sets) and many other interesting dolls displayed in the hall. All these dolls belong to Kosaka-ke (Kosaka Family) of Kamiyokomachi in Yurihonjo City. Kosaka-ke was a merchant family, and had been involved in making and trading of Koji of Miso and Shoyu from Edo period. The shops prospered until recently, but unfortunately closed in 2009. All the dolls of Kosaka-ke were displayed in four platforms at the hall. Some of the exhibited dolls were rather unusual and unique. Two sets of imperial Dairibina dolls were displayed on the topmost platform. Both the sets were Kyohobina dolls from Edo period and I loved these Dairibina dolls very much. Both of the empress Kyohobina dolls were wearing vibrant and colorful five-layered Itsutsuginu robe, Karaginu top made using rich colorful silk brocades and satin woven with gold threads, and swollen Hakama skirt. In addition, the empress dolls had ceremonial metal crowns. Both the emperor dolls were wearing equally luxurious Kimono. The faces of both sets of imperial Dairibina dolls were very expressive. The eyes were partially carved and then painted. Both the antique Kyohobina Hina doll sets were extremely elegant and beautiful. Along with these two sets of imperial Dairibina dolls, various other dolls were also displayed on the lower three platforms. For the sake of brevity, I will divide the lower three platforms into the left and the right side. First I will discuss about the dolls displayed on the left side of the platforms. Five male musicians Gonin Bayashi were displayed on the second (from top) platform, uniquely unconventional queued dolls named Gyoretsu Ningyo were displayed on the third platform, and Empress Jingu Kougou and her minister Takenouchi no Sukune were displayed on the fourth platform. Now I will discuss about some of the dolls displayed on the right side of the platforms. The information pamphlet about the dolls of Kosaka-ke indicated that there were three sets of imperial Dairibina dolls on display. So I searched for the third set of Dairibina dolls and found them to be exhibited on the right side of the second platform. This set of Dairibina dolls did not have any crown or headdress which made it rather difficult to identify them from the rest of the other beautiful dolls exhibited. An elderly couple named Jo and Uba from the Noh play Takasago were displayed on the third platform. In addition, two dimensional Oshiebina dolls made of padded Kimono fabric and Washi paper were also displayed on this platform. Five dolls of Hanaodori Gonin Musume (flower hat dance by five daughters) were displayed on the fourth platform. The box cases of all these various doll sets show that most of these dolls were collected by Kosaka-ke from Tempo era (1830-1844) of Edo period up to 15th year of Taisho period (1926).

Left side of the display of antique Hina dolls of Kosaka-ke

Right side of the display of Hina dolls of Kosaka-ke

First set of Kyohobina imperial Dairibina dolls located on the left side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Second set of Kyohobina imperial Dairibina dolls located on the right side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Gonin Bayashi dolls and Gyoretsu Ningyo dolls located on the left side of the second platform (from top) and the third platform, respectively

Dolls of Empress Jingu Kougou (left) and her minister Takenouchi no Sukune (right) located on the left side of the fourth platform

Third set of imperial Dairibina dolls (1) located on the right side of the second platform were without any hat or crown. In addition, an elderly couple dolls (2) and Oshiebina dolls (3) located on the third platform, and Hanaodori Gonin Musume dolls (4) located on the fourth platform looked amazing.

Hina dolls of Komatsu-ke

Next, we saw two Hina doll sets (fifth and sixth sets) displayed in the hall. These two sets of dolls belong to Komatsu-ke. These Hina dolls were typical small sized (about 10 centimeters) Keshibina dolls of mid Edo period. During this period the edicts of Edo government restricted the usage of many luxurious items, which included the large sized extravagant Hina dolls. So the doll makers created extremely fine forms of dolls that were only 10 centimeters in height. Such detailed intricate miniaturized dolls were named Keshibina or ‘poppy seed’ Hina, and became very popular during the latter half of the Edo period. The Hina dolls of Komatsu-ke were initially bought as presents for a daughter born to Ishiwaki no Sato-ke (Sato Family) in the beginning of Showa period. When this daughter entered Komatsu-ke as a bride, she brought these dolls with her into the Komatsu Family. All the Hina dolls were displayed in four platforms at the hall. Although the dolls of Komatsu-ke were small in size, they were precise, impressive, and profound. Two sets of imperial Dairibina dolls were displayed on the topmost platform. Both the sets were of Keshibina type. These imperial dolls had elegant and noble faces and were wearing vibrant and colorful Kimono with a lot of gold threads and gold brocade. The two empress Ohinasama dolls were wearing a five-layered Itsutsuginu robe, Karaginu top, and were complemented by an elaborate metal crown and a ceremonial folding fan named Hiougi. The two emperor Odairisama dolls were wearing Sokutai attire, and were complemented by a ceremonial headdress named Kanmuri and holding a ritual baton Shaku. Along with these imperial Dairibina dolls, many other dolls were also displayed. Two sets of three Nyokan court ladies were displayed on the second (from top) platform. In addition, five male Gakujin musicians were displayed on the third platform, and Zuishin ministers and Jichou court helpers were displayed on the fourth platform. Doll furniture Hina Dougu was also exhibited in all the platforms. These two sets of Hina dolls were small but seemed so opulent.

Hina dolls of Komatsu-ke

First set of Keshibina imperial Dairibina dolls located on the left side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Second set of Keshibina imperial Dairibina dolls located on the right side of the topmost platform

Empress Ohinasama doll

Elegant and noble face of the empress Ohinasama doll

Emperor Odairisama doll

Two sets of three Nyokan court ladies displayed on the second platform (upper photo), five male Gakujin musicians displayed on the third platform (middle photo), and Zuishin court ministers and Jichou court helpers displayed on the fourth platform (lower photo)

We loved viewing the display of so many sets of antique Hina dolls in the hall of Honjo Kyodo Shiryokan Museum. There were several more Hina dolls on display about which I will write in the next post.