Japanese ancient Hina dolls and contemporary Hina dolls

  In Japan, parents usually decorate Hina dolls wearing traditional Japanese costumes at the Doll's Festival (Hina matsuri) on the 3rd of March, which celebrates the healthy growth of their young daughters.  Around this time of the year, various exhibitions of Hina dolls are being held in many cities in Japan.　

 

 Just to give you one example, in the shopping district of the central Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, many shops display Hina dolls that they are proud of.　

 This event is called the Nagahama Hina Doll Tour and is held for one month from February to March. The event allows visitors to see Hina dolls, each with its own unique character, from treasures hundreds of years old to those handmade by shop owners.  It probably started in 2009.

 I walked around the streets and looked at each Hina doll with a guide map in my hand. The above Hina dolls were on display in a certain shop. The shop owner's daughter told me, "These Hina dolls were decorated for me when I was a child."

 Let's move on to the main topic. Following photo is a set of Hina dolls made in the Edo period (before 1868), and it has been passed down for generations in a certain traditional Japanese baked cake shop. It is a Goten decoration and features a "Goten" (palace) modeled after the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, with two dolls, a male and female doll modeled after the Emperor and Empress, placed inside.

  It has the ambience of a modern dollhouse and depicts the glamorous life of an aristocrat in minute detail, like a diorama.

These ancient Hina dolls are one of the oldest Hina dolls among other Hina dolls in the Nagahama Hina Doll Tour.

By the way, this pair of Hina dolls was displayed at a certain traditional Japanese paper shop having a long history. These ancient Hina dolls are said to have been made in the late-Edo period, probably around 200 years ago. The kimono and the hair ornaments on the doll modeled after the Emperess is voluminous and gorgeous. And the expression on the hands... The intricate, elegant expression on the hands gives the impression that they might start moving at any moment.

I took this photo from the same direction as the cover photo of the PR magazine of the city of Nagahama issued eleven years ago.  Actually, the dolls' owner showed me this PR magazine. 

When I took the photo, the owner stressed that even though the dolls had been made a long time ago, the sleeve of the doll's Kimono was vivid color and was fluffy like a sitting cushion. 

This is a very unique set of ancient Hina dolls depicting everyday life of long time ago.　The doll on the left is arranging kimonos in a chest of drawers, and the doll on the right is studying writing. It was displayed in the same shop as a Goten decoration. It is said to have been made about 100 years ago during the Taisho period.

I'm sorry there are so many ancient Hina dolls and others, and I can't introduce everything in one article.

Incidentally, what do you think this is?

This is a craft of a pair of Hina dolls made of glass, which are modeled after the Emperor and the Empress.  A golden folding screen is set up behind the glass dolls, and glass lanterns are placed on either side.　

First of all, not that I'm trying to promote Nagahama City (actually I'm trying), but the Kurokabe Glass Shop specialises in glassware, tableware, accessories, miniature glass, glass pens, seasonal glass and more. It is located near JR Nagahama Station, and this Western-style wooden building, built as a bank in 1900 (Meiji 33), was reborn as the Kurokabe Glass Shop in 1988 (Heisei 1).

Upon entering the shop, what jumped into my eyes were a number of brightly colored glass dolls on display and for sale.
I asked the shop staff if I could take photos and upload them to social media, and she said, sure, so I took some photos. Here are some of them.

This pair of glass dolls that have a gold leaf costume inside the glass. It seems to be a more luxurious item than the glass dolls in the previous photo. It is handmade by a craftsman, and it looks like it requires a lot of skill.

The photos were taken in Nagahama City on February 25 and March 1, 2025.

Actually, I posted the blog about Hinamatsuri (Girls' Festival) last February. Please take a look at the blog if you like.

The only Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival) exhibition in Japan