How to dress traditional Japanese dolls for girls’ day

2 Mar 2007 Category: Arts & Crafts, Features, Japan

In Japan, March 3rd is a traditional celebration day of girls called “Hina-matsuri.” The color of pink symbolizes the day, and a lot of pink colored stuff on the streets reminds me that the season is coming. In department stores, you can see colorful dolls sitting in front of a shining golden folding screen. I used to really enjoy this event as a child, but I have stopped celebrating it as I got older… This time, I would like to introduce this wonderful Japanese event with a little bit of its history, and contemporary designs relating to it. Slowly Spring is coming…

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Junko

The overall idea of Hina-matsuri is to wish girls a healthy growth. In a family where a baby girl is born, parents give a set of dolls called “Hina-Ningyo” to the baby at her first Hina-matsuri hoping that she will grow happy, healthy and beautiful. Every year they keep decorating the dolls on the day of Hina-matsuri and hold a party to celebrate the child’s growth with some cake or tiny rice cakes.

Although most people call it “Hina-matsuri”, it is sometimes called “Momo-no-Sekku” and there are two reasons for it: 1) flowers of the Momo-tree (peach tree) blossom around this time of the year. 2) There is a Chinese legend saying that “The peach keeps bad things away and maintains one’s health.”

So the whole thing can be seen as a traditional, very sophisticated annual playing with dolls, basically. There are certain rules as of how to arrange them, what they wear, what they carry in their hands etc. We will get to that in a second!

In the old days people did not keep the Ohina-sama (dolls) at home, but disposed them because they believed that the dolls would take away their bad luck with them. At one point, however, they realized that throwing dolls into the rivers caused a problem of river pollution, and besides people started to enjoy decorating the dolls at home instead of throwing them away. Now here is how to do it!

Hina-Kazari (Dolls decoration)

According to Wikipedia, how the dolls are dressed is based on lives of the old aristocrats in the Heian-period in Japan and the full traditional set consists of 15 dolls arranged on 7 stairs of pedestals in a certain order.

The Ohina-sama main-female-doll stands for an empress and sits on the very top, together with the main-male-doll Odairi-sama - which then of course symbolizes an emperor.

The empress-doll is dressed in colorful Juni-hitoe, which basically means that she is wearing a lot of kimonos.

On the second level, there are three court ladies who take care of the empress. Five musicians are put on the third stair, on the rank below you’ll find two ministers who serve the emperor and on the lowest rank are 3 helpers to clean the palace.

If you take a close look at them you will notice that they are made so carefully in their details, the hair and fingers, …they look like they are just about to move any moment.

What do they carry in their hands??

There is an amazing set of tools that the dolls carry and those are made so exact and carefully - it’s insane!

The doll empress holds a fan in her hand, and the emperor has the tool ladle to straighten dignity. In three court ladies’ hands, a long knob Choshi (a tool to pour Sake) and sho-chiku-bai decoration can be found. Five musicians have musical instruments, such as a whistle, a small drum, and a big drum etc. The ministers have arrows on their backs, a bow in their hands, and swords on their waist. And the palace cleaners carry cleaning tools such as broom, dustpans and rakes.

The most outstanding thing among a set of decoration is a shining golden folding screen on the top. The screen had been found very useful in old times as a windbreaker. Also, there is a beauty of lanterns, trees of cherry blossoms and wild oranges. The world of the dolls is said to look like the Kyoto-Gosho, the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

In addition, there is a series of trousseaus the doll empress brings in such as a chest of drawers, dressing tables, and workboxes… These are made imitating the trousseau in a large distinguished family or the general family, and the shape of them has changed in each period.

Small old fashioned externals

Now what do you think happens every year, when you take out this box of all the dools and their tools!?? I will tell you what happens: you will find yourself staring at a big mess of dolls, bits and pieces and have absolutely no memory as of what goes where, who is supposed to hold which bit in their hands…

Therefor costume designer Kozue Hibino came up with a good idea for the dools: “to keep the beauty of traditional dolls, but to make it compact to suit our modern lifestyle”. Well, she basically created a box out of light paulownia that is divided into tiny tiny spaces to make sure you store all the miniature tools in their right place.

I just find it amazing, that something so traditional has prevailed for such a long time but that it took until now for someone to come up with a solution for this unavoidable mess…

Many kinds of Ohina-sama

Now these dolls have come a looong way, which is why there are tons of differnt kinds, realistic ones, abstract ones, cheap ones, expensive ones… Here is just a small taste!

Food at Hina-matsuri

There are all kinds of food at the annual doll celebration: sake, tiny rice cakes, cake and also peaches and felon herbs which are said to remove bad luck. The most typical food is a “water caltrop rice cake” in which green, white and pink color overlap.

Green stands for health (earth) while white means cleanliness (snow) and pink stands for the peach flower. A lot of stories exist related to the origin of the water caltrop rice cake. The most heartwarming one among them may be that it expresses the look of a day when spring has just come …a peach tree that carries pink flowers standing on the still-snow-covered earth.

Hina-matsuri contemporary products

Various Hina-matsuri motif snacks line up in shops and supermarkets around this time. I found a Hina-matsuri special version of “caramel corn” series produced by Tohato that Pingmag introduced before in our packaging design article.

In my childhood, I remember enjoying this three-colored jelly that the elementary school served on this very day.

There are so many Hina-matsuri designed goods!

At a drugstore, there are even mothballs to store your dolls produced by Kincho and Hakugen which linger at you with their strong traditional imagery.

Superstition

It is said that a girl will miss a good chance to get married if she doesn’t put away her doll-decoration soon after Hina-matsuri. Why? Because it is based on the old idea that girls should be organized and tidy in order to become a good wife. So, forget the brainwash, girls and have a lovely girls-day anyway!

Today, not many families display 7-stair-Hina-kazari as lifestyle has changed. But, it is such a shame to keep this wonderful gift from old time in a storeroom or a loft. Why don’t you pull them out today and put them as a small cute decoration? It will surely bring spring to your room!

29 Comments

1. Beautiful!… you have so many fascinating traditions in the other side of the world (i’m from chile).
   love it.

   Posted by: cote on March 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 am

2. Thanks very much for this great Hina-matsuri article! My wife’s parents graced our daughter with a beautiful Hina-kazari. While I enjoy looking at the elaborate details of it, I didn’t know what each figure represented, nor the other details behind the celebration. I know more now! Arigatou gozaimasu!

   Posted by: Doug on March 3rd, 2007 at 3:42 am

3. i remember making little origami emperors and empresses in japanese class when i was little. now I know why. :P

   Posted by: anneliese on March 3rd, 2007 at 4:48 pm

4. Great compilation. Pics are really awesome.

   Posted by: Paavani on March 3rd, 2007 at 7:08 pm

5. ebay suspension

   Posted by: Amebikur on March 3rd, 2007 at 7:47 pm

6. Really nice hinaningyo, cool.

   Posted by: Mabataki on March 3rd, 2007 at 8:51 pm

7. How do I contact PingMag? I wish to submit a feature on a South African fashion designer who mixes African and Japanese influences. I already have the image gallery to show on http://www.theflyingdutchman.co.za/docwork.html. My email: blacksoutheaster@gmail.com

   pingmag deserves some major awards!

   Posted by: John Freeman on March 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm

8. Wow, fascinating read. I PingMag :)

   Posted by: Alex on March 6th, 2007 at 6:46 am

9. …it should say I heart Pingmag ! :)

   Posted by: Alex on March 6th, 2007 at 6:47 am

10. I wish i was a girl born in Japan surrounded by cute pinku stuff and my youth would be a big deal to ppl

    Posted by: Piggy Ang on March 8th, 2007 at 1:41 pm

11. [...] I prefer my good ol’ backpack), other recent features include dressing traditional girl dolls for Hinamatsuri (Girls Day in Japan is March 3rd), food art and “Treasured Trash” which is [...]

    Posted by: Ponoko - Personal Factories » Blog Archive » PingMag is Mad about Japan Trends and Designs on March 8th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

12. [...] can’t believe I missed this cute Japanese holiday (found via: magpie and [...]

    Posted by: i missed hina-matsuri :( at b e t h m a h e r . c o m on March 14th, 2007 at 5:54 am

13. That’s nice to see so much respect for girls growth. Hope this tradition keeps going on!

    Posted by: Richard on March 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am

14. [...] there is no reason why we shouldn’t celebrate Children’s Day, too. Following Girl’s Day in March, the event-loving PingMag team had a look at the festive atmo around in Tokyo. Read more about [...]

    Posted by: PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Flying Fish: Fun Stuff for Japanese Children’s Day on May 4th, 2007 at 7:00 pm

15. Up to what age do someone usually celebrate Girl’s Day? It looks like a very fun holiday & reminds me of how people here celebrate Easter around that time. Pink is the traditional color …I learned several things from this so thank you very much!

    Posted by: Brynn on August 1st, 2007 at 7:25 am

16. I love the idea of having a national holiday just for little girls :-) I can’t wait to visit Japan one day!

    Posted by: Stephanie on September 11th, 2007 at 11:26 pm

17. [...] are some dolls that I found on PingMag, which is meant to be the emperor and empress having a relaxed sushi! Very elaborate as fits an [...]

    Posted by: Emperor and empress doll sushi at Sushi or Death on September 13th, 2007 at 3:11 am

18. [...] are some dolls that I found on PingMag, which is meant to be the emperor and empress having a relaxed sushi! Very elaborate as fits an [...]

    Posted by: Sushi or Death » Emperor and empress doll sushi on September 13th, 2007 at 4:42 am

19. panget

    Posted by: liza mae on March 3rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm

20. [...] information about Hina Matsuri, if you’re wondering what it’s all about. This is from PingMag.jp: The overall idea of Hina-matsuri is to wish girls a healthy growth. In a family where a baby girl [...]

    Posted by: March 3 is Girls’ Day, so Happy Hina Matsuri! on March 3rd, 2008 at 11:54 pm

21. [...] PingMag has an article called How to dress traditional Japanese dolls for girls’ day [...]

    Posted by: Celebrating a taste of Japanese Culture: Hinamatsuri | Public Spark on March 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am

22. [...] or “Dolls day” (for the dolls which are used in the celebration). See a full report on PingMag. [Photo courtesy David Wiley via Flickr] addthis_url = [...]

    Posted by: Happy Hina Matsuri! | Secret Guide on March 4th, 2008 at 2:20 am

23. Fantastic article, and I love the photos!!!
    I wanted to suggest a site on Hakata dolls -

    http://www.dollsofhakata.com/

    Posted by: Nasubix on October 26th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

24. [...] reference from Pingmag, Ginkoya and [...]

    Posted by: Hina Matsuri - Japanese Girls’ Day and Doll Festival « YeinJee's Asian News on March 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm

25. I am American who learned to make a set of 10 paper Japanese dolls when living in Meguro-ku in the early 70’s. We made the Emperor, Emperess, 3 ladies-in-waiting and 5 court musicians. We each had a book written in Japanese with clear pictures to follow and our Japanese teacher helped us through the process. We ended up with lovely origami dolls which I have to this day. I made 20 sets and gave them as gifts over the years. For several years I have been looking to see if the little book we used is available in English. I would like to share this with my American friends. The first paper was white for the face (left blank), followed by the black paper which ended up as hair (different for the emperor and emperess. Next came several layers of clothing and the final result is very attractive. In 1998 I tracked down some books, but was later told the books are now out of print. Can you help me? I would be especially interested in a book complete with appropriate pre-cut paper for each figure. I think the American public would be willing to pay for this information. Sincerely, Tari McGriff

    Posted by: Tari McGriff on February 22nd, 2010 at 10:02 am

26. these dolls look like crap!!!!!!!

    Posted by: butt cheek on March 1st, 2010 at 7:21 am

27. THESE DOLLS LOOK LIKE CRAP IN A BOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by: popcorn on March 1st, 2010 at 7:25 am

28. Wonderful! Kawaii!
    I love Japanese culture and i wish i could visit Japan one day with my family. Hopefully we could be friend :)

    Arigatou gozaimashita

    Anita Yan

    Posted by: Anita Rodi on August 19th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

29. Btw… i am Anita from Indonesia (Jogja city - Java island)… please drop by my place when you visit Jogja one day…
    My husband and me, we have natural handmade bags business (kago business) and we export to Tokyo/Osaka once a year before spring summer.

    Posted by: Anita Rodi on August 19th, 2010 at 11:55 pm

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