FAQ

Hina dolls

Q. What are Hatsuzekku, Jomi-no-sekku, Momo-no-sekku and Hina-matsuri?

Hatsuzekku is a baby’s first Girls’ Festival, celebrated on March 3. This is the first Mi-no-hi (lit., “Day of the Snake,” with the snake being one of the twelve animals of the oriental zodiac), and is also referred to as Jomi-no-sekku. The event is also sometimes called Momo-no-sekku (the Peach Festival) because the peach flower blooms around this time of year. The festival is said to have originated in the Heian Period, when the children of court nobles played with hina dolls and people enjoyed Nagashibina (a ritual of floating hina dolls down a river) in early March. March 3 is thought to have been designated as the festive date around 300 years ago.
During the Edo Period – a time of peace following the end of the Warring States period – the March 3 festival became an occasion exclusive to women. Court people as well as samurai families and townspeople began to display hina dolls for the Girls’ Festival. From the middle of the period, people began to celebrate the birth of girls by displaying hina dolls at the child’s first Girls’ Festival and each year thereafter.

Q. Why do people display hina dolls for the Girls’ Festival?

Hina-matsuri (the Girls’ Festival) comes from a combination of doll plays that were popular among the children of court nobles and the custom of Nagashibina (in which hina dolls were floated down a river as a scapegoat to protect children from misfortune). Loving parents came to display these dolls to bring health and happiness to their offspring.

Q. Who pays for hina dolls?

Hina dolls used to be gifted by the wife’s family, but today both families often share the expense. Go-betweens and relatives generally give child dolls, imperial dolls, ichimatsu dolls (traditional examples stuffed with sawdust) and other types.

Q. When should hina dolls be displayed?

Hina dolls should be put out between Risshun – the first day of spring (February 4) – and mid-February, and should be on display for at least a week before the Girls’ Festival. After the festival, they should be put away as soon as possible on a dry, sunny day by the middle of March. Dolls that need to be disposed of should be given a memorial service. These are conducted nationwide for dedication to a temple or shrine.

Q. Should I buy hina dolls for other daughters after the first one?

People display hina dolls for the healthy growth and happiness of each daughter, and also as talismans to guard against misfortune. People generally don’t have a single set of dolls for all daughters or hand them down to younger daughters. A set of dolls of any size should be bought for each daughter.

Q. What should I give in return for a gift given for my daughter’s first Girls’ Festival?

It’s common to either return a gift on behalf of the baby along with a letter of thanks and a photo of the girl, or to host the giver at a celebratory dinner or similar event.

Q. On which side should the emperor and empress dolls be placed?

They can be on either side. The left was seen as the seat of honor until the late Edo Period, so the emperor is placed on the right in Kyoto and other areas where ancient customs are considered important. Today the right is regarded as the seat of honor due to the influence of Western etiquette, so the emperor is often placed on the left. However, this placement rule does not apply to the ministers on the right and left of the fourth stair, where the older minister which used to be placed on the left is now principally placed on the right.

Q. Is it true that a girl whose hina dolls are put away late might never get married?

There is no factual basis for this. Dolls can be displayed and put away at any time within the relevant period. They should be dusted and put away on a sunny day due to the adverse effects of dust/soiling and humidity.

Q. What kinds of food should I serve for the Girls’ Festival?

Clam soup and sushi are often served. The tightly-shut nature of a clam shell represents the closeness of a happy couple, and fresh seafood along with spring vegetables for sushi are abundantly available at this time of year. Kid-friendly sweets and drinks are also popular. The eve of the Girls’ Festival used to be known as yoi-zekku (lit. “evening festival”), and was celebrated with formal parties attended mostly by women. Nowadays, parties for the Girls’ Festival are more casual.

Q. Why does the doll in the center of the three court ladies-in-waiting have no eyebrows?

Women used to shave off their eyebrows and blacken their teeth upon getting married. The doll without eyebrows in the center is married, and serves as the chief of the ladies. Those on either side have eyebrows because they are unmarried. The mouth of the lady on one side is open, while the other’s is closed. The 15 dolls have different faces and expressions, but all should be produced by the same artisan. A set of dolls with different facial expressions is called a soroi (suite). The dolls on either side of each stair differ in terms of expression, but symmetry is generally maintained.

Q. What are the decisive factors in hina doll prices?

The skill of the artisan is reflected in the price, along with the conditions of production, the quality of the gold brocade and tailoring of the dress, and the production volume. The value of accessories depends on the material (wood or plastic) as well as the fineness of unfinished woodenware, the lacquerware decoration techniques and the craftsmanship of metal fittings. Other price factors include the quality of materials, the thickness/structure of the tiered platform (box-shaped, wooden knockdown, irregular, etc.), and the quality of the cloth used.

Q. What’s the best way to choose hina dolls?

Don’t worry too much about the details. Choose ones with nice faces that will have lasting appeal. Go with your first impressions, but check for good balance and careful finishing. When purchasing a set, it’s important to check that the heads and faces of all the dolls were produced by the same artisan. The Kyoto-style head has narrow eyes characteristic of classic beauty, while the Edo-style one has large eyes considered typical of attractive women in modern times. The rendering looks brighter from below and darker from above.

Q. What about costumes?

Look at the overall color combination. Also check that the tailoring is neat and solid, and that the costume is carefully finished and tidy. Costume colors depend on preference, but the overall harmony of the set is important. For kimekomi dolls, the cloth should be firmly and evenly attached to the wooden base, there should be no scuffing of the cloth tucked into folds, and the dolls should be stably seated.

Q. How should I choose which hina dolls to buy?

Determine how much you can afford and the space available for display. Dolls are either dressed in regular Japanese costumes or the kimekomi wooden type, which is fitted with a Japanese cloth costume affixed with grooves in the wooden base. The faces, costumes, shapes and sizes should be well balanced.

Q. How should hina dolls be stored?

Storage box type:

Imperial couple type:

Three-tier doll set:

Q. What is Nochi-no-hina?

In the mid-Edo Period, people put out hina dolls again on September 9 – the day of Choyo-no-sekku (the Chrysanthemum Festival) – to wish for their own health and longevity and to air the dolls. This practice came to be called Nochi-no-hina to differentiate it from the display of dolls on March 3 for the Girls’ Festival.

Q. What is Choyo-no-sekku?

Choyo-no-sekku (the Chrysanthemum Festival) is celebrated on September 9 as one of the five main gosseku seasonal festivals. The occasion used to be observed by displaying chrysanthemums and drinking sake with flower petals to drive away evil and wish for longevity. It was called the Chrysanthemum Festival on the lunar calendar because the flower blooms around that time of year.

Q. Why are hina dolls displayed for the Nochi-no-hina festival?

People used to celebrate the festival to drive away evil and wish for longevity by putting out chrysanthemum decorations and drinking sake with floating flower petals. The associated Sekiwata custom involved covering chrysanthemums with cotton cloth on September 8 and later using it to wipe themselves. The plant was thought to have pharmaceutical benefits and help to extend life. People in the early Edo Period would display hina dolls again during Choyo-no-sekku (the Chrysanthemum Festival) to wish for their own health and longevity. To help preserve this tradition, Kyugetsu encourages owners to display their Nochi-no-hina dolls.

Q. When should Nochi-no-hina dolls be displayed?

Dolls should be displayed from September 9 to October 15 (Dolls’ Day), which corresponds to September 9 on the lunar calendar, and put away on a dry, sunny day.

Boys' May Festival dolls

Q. What is the origin of Tango-no-sekku (the Boys’ Festival)?

One of the kanji characters in the name of the festival means “beginning,” and the other is a homonym of the number five. The name of the festival therefore indicates the date of the 5th and its positioning early in the month.
Nara Period
In the Nara Period, the court banquet festival on May 5 was considered an important event, and Tango became the name for this date. During the festival, the emperor would attach myrtle root to his crown, give sake containing the plant to his subjects, and decorate the eaves of the imperial palace with myrtle root to drive evil away. Equestrian archery and horse racing rituals were also practiced on the day in prayer for the safety of the nation.
Kamakura-Muromachi Period
During this period, Japan’s political center changed from the Imperial Court to the feudal government. As myrtle root was regarded by warriors as a symbol of respect for military arts, this day was valued as a turning point in Bushido (Japanese chivalry).
Edo Period
The Edo Period was the origin of today’s custom of celebrating Tango-no-sekku for the birth of boys. As with the Girls’ Festival, samurai families and the general public began to observe the Boys’ Festival in the hope that their male offspring would grow up big and strong.

Q. Why are dolls and related items displayed for the Boys’ Festival?

The warrior’s helmet and armor worn by dolls were very important in self-defense for men in the military. In the peaceful reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, displaying a helmet and armor became popular in the hope of protecting boys from danger and misfortune, with the doll as a scapegoat for children. This practice reflects parents’ wishes for their baby boys to grow up healthy and strong and enjoy the blessings of life, such as success in work and study, and a happy marriage.

Q. Why is myrtle root displayed?

Since ancient times, myrtle root has been believed to drive away evil. Even today, Japanese people believe that a bath containing finely cut myrtle root promotes wellbeing. The plant was used in court events held on May 5 to support wellness, and was displayed on the eaves of houses as well as being used as a toy for children. During the samurai era it became linked with militarism, which sounds the same as the plant’s name in Japanese, and was therefore considered fitting for boys. The iris also blooms at this time of year, and has become an indispensable part of the Boys’ Festival.

Q. What should be displayed for the Boys’ Festival?

Items include interior ornaments (helmet, armor and child warrior doll) and exterior ornaments (carp streamers and warrior flags). Both should be displayed, as the former are for healthy growth and the latter are for success at work.

Q. Who should buy dolls for the Boys’ Festival?

Dolls are traditionally given by the wife’s family, but today the cost may be shared by both sides out of a sense of familial love. The wife’s side might pay for the carp streamers, while the husband’s side might pay for the doll itself.

Q. When should dolls for the Boys’ Festival be displayed?

Dolls should ideally be put out on the Spring Equinox (March 20), and by mid-April at the latest. The most important thing is to make sure that dolls are displayed every year. This is an annual event for children, so parents should put out dolls for the healthy growth of their children. After the festival, dolls and carp streamers should be put away on a sunny day by the middle of May because sekku (the seasonal festival) represents a transition between seasons.

Q. How should the Boys’ Festival be celebrated?

The festival is typically celebrated on May 5 or on the evening of May 4 (called yoi-zekku, meaning the eve of a seasonal festival) with invited guests. People who have given a gift for the boy and are unable to attend the celebration are commonly given a return gift of something like chimaki rice dumplings or kashiwamochi rice cake on behalf of the baby, often with a photo of the child.

Q. Should I buy dolls for other sons after the first one?

Dolls for the Boys’ Festival are seen as scapegoats to protect the baby from misfortune, so are individual to each boy. Just as charms from shrines cannot be shared, dolls should not be handed down or shared. Dolls that need to be disposed of should be given a memorial service. These are conducted nationwide for dedication to a temple or shrine.

Q. Why do people eat chimaki rice dumplings and kashiwamochi rice cake for the Boys’ Festival?

Over 2,000 years ago, the legendary Chinese poet Kutsugen committed suicide by jumping into the Bekirako River on May 5 over worries about the state of the nation. In his memory, locals began throwing bamboo packed with rice into the river on this date, creating the origin of chimaki rice dumplings. Meanwhile, the daimyo oak, whose leaves are used to wrap kashiwamochi rice cake, was also revered in a religious context. The sweet became associated with the festival for the healthy growth of boys. The daimyo oak is also considered celebratory because its old leaves fall after new ones grow.

Hamayumi (ceremonial bows) and battledores

Q. What is Hatsu-shogatsu?

Hatsu-shogatsu is the first New Year after a baby’s birth. Since the Edo Period, people have customarily given Hamayumi (ceremonial bows) to baby boys and battledores to baby girls as charms against misfortune.

Q. Why are Hamayumi bows and battledores displayed?

Bows and battledores gifted are displayed as part of indoor decorations for the New Year. Raising children was much more difficult before modern developments in the areas of medicine, wealth, nutrition and hygiene, and parents would celebrate this occasion, hoping that their children would grow big and strong. The Japanese characters for the hard black mukuroji tip of the shuttlecock used in the game of Hanetsuki (Japanese badminton) can also be read as “protection of children from diseases,” making this an ideal charm for the wellbeing of youngsters. As the flight of the shuttlecock also resembles that of a dragonfly eating a disease-carrying mosquito, Hanetsuki also reflects the wish for protection from mosquitoes and related infections. Even today, battledores are given as presents and displayed on the first New Year to celebrate the birth of girls as charms for healthy growth. Hamayumi bows used in a New Year ritual called Jarai (ceremonial shooting) among samurai families are also a typical first New Year decoration in the hope that a boy will grow big and strong.

Q. When should these items be displayed?

These ornaments should ideally be put on display between mid-December and the Lunar New Year (January 14 to 16), and by January 30 at the latest. They should not be put out on January 31, as this is reserved as a one-night display for festive items. As well as at New Year, Battledores can also be displayed for the Girls’ Festival and Hamayumi bows can be displayed for the Boys’ Festival.

Q. Who buys Hamayumi bows and battledores?

These are traditionally given by the wife’s family, but today the cost may be shared by both families out of a sense of familial love.