hina-ningyo

Male Japanese doll in traditional silk costume.

VIDEOS AND PHOTOGRAPHS: http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa022501a.htm - five tiered display

This doll was made for display during the Girl'ss Festival in Japan. The Girl's Day Festival happens on the 3rd of March. A few weeks before the festival, a large table would be set up in a room of the house with a set of dolls, often set on tiers with the most important (the emperor and empress) on the top. This doll is probably a Sadajin (Minister of the Left), who was known for his great wisdom. Similar doll displays would be set up for the Boy's Day Festival, which takes place in May. The dolls chosen for each display reflect Japanese ideal qualities of masculinity and femininity.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
HC.1999.642
COLLECTION
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
silk, porcelain
CATEGORY
Education Handling Collection: Anthropology
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Collection Information

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