Hinamatsuri, a celebration of girl children

February and March can bring dreary weather in the Kanto region. Some days the warmth of the sun relieves the bitter cold, but there are also rainy bleak days. Hinamatsuri, one of the five gosekku, the seasonal festivals of Japan, brings a little color and celebratory atmosphere to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It coincides with the blooming of wintersweet and plum trees. The Hina matsuri festival features displays of dolls to celebrate girls.

The festival celebrated on the modern calendar on March 3rd originated perhaps as early as the Heian period. Imagine, at that time, infant mortality was much higher than it is today. Heian aristocrats took to displaying figurines and dolls as a way to ward off the evil that might threaten children. In the early spring, the display of dolls became a celebration of the survival of offspring after the perilous winter. As doll manufacture became more widespread, the wider culture adopted displays of dolls, both simple and intimate and elaborate and public. They are meant to celebrate young girls.

The dolls depict a Heian court with the emperor, empress, courtiers, and their furniture. The figures in the seven-step display on a red felt carpet resemble a wedding celebration and that’s what they were meant to represent, with all the goods that a bride would bring and the sumptuous costumes of the imperial court.

When I stepped out of my house on a blustery February day to visit Noda City’s Folk Museum, I had only intended to greet some friends who are volunteering at the museum’s hall.

However, as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of the warmly lit interior of the heritage house next door, also part of the museum grounds. In the front reception room beyond the genkan hall, I spied a seven-tier doll display.

I hung back while the museum staff saw off some visitors. After they left, the guide greeted me and ushered me into the genkan to take a photo of this dazzling display of dolls. When I was done shooting he beckoned me in to see more.

The first display of dolls near the genkan of the old house

In one of the reception rooms, he beamed as he explained that this set of dolls came from a 90-year-old resident of Noda City. 

A display of dolls dating from a Noda City near-centenarian

I wondered aloud if she let go of the doll set because of lack of space. The museum staff member told me no, she's eager to share her cultural treasure with the city, so she donated it knowing it would be displayed annually.

Yet more stunning displays decorated rooms in the heritage house. Many families have contributed their treasures to the city so that everyone can enjoy the celebration. 

A vintage set of dolls in the Kansai idiom

As Japan's birthrate declines at an accelerated rate, it's all the more important to be grateful for children and the traditions that fete the young people who will be the leaders in an increasingly aged society.

Do you mark Hinamatsuri in your home?