10th Antique “Hina” Doll Exhibition Starts in Tokyo

January 18, 2019

Tokyo--An annual antique "hina" doll exhibition, the 10th of its kind, began Friday at the Hyakudan Kaidan exhibition hall in Tokyo, with collections having been handed down in families over centuries.

The exhibition in 2019 brings together a total of some 1,000 pieces, including antique hina dolls and ornaments from three northeastern prefectures--Aomori, Akita and Yamagata.

The collections, most of which are from the Edo period (1603-1868), are displayed in seven rooms in the hall, a Tokyo metropolitan government-designated tangible cultural asset located within Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, a wedding hall-hotel complex previously called Meguro Gajoen, in Meguro Ward.

For "Hinamatsuri" Girls' Day festival on March 3, a couple of dolls, usually depicting an emperor and an empress, are displayed with attendants and musicians dressed in court attire of the Heian period (794-around 1185) to wish for the well-being and happiness of girls.

"I want to spread the charm of Japanese culture to the world (through the latest event)," said Kei Yunoki, director of event planning at Hotel Gajoen.

The exhibition features "kasafuku" hanging ornaments from the city of Sakata in Yamagata, which are collectively designated as a folk cultural property of Japan and regarded as one the three representative hanging decorations in the country.

"I hope that the exhibition will express the artistry of hina doll culture," said Koji Kudo, vice chairman of the Yamagata prefectural arts and culture association.

"Each ornament was created to carry a distinctive meaning, with parents wishing for various kinds of luck for their children," Kudo added.

Other highlights of the exhibition include a total of 450 intricate miniature dolls and ornaments from the city of Yurihonjo in Akita that were coated with black "urushi" Japanese lacquer and decorated with "makie" painting, in which gold powder is sprinkled on the surface to create pictorial patterns. The collection was a wedding gift from Rokugo Masaakira, the 11th feudal lord of Honjo, to his daughter, Yoshiko.

"The collection is said to be worth more than a cost to nurture a family," said Michiko Kudo from a local museum in the city.

The exhibition will run through March 10 and is expected to attract some 70,000 to 80,000 visitors. Jiji Press