Japanese Festival Doll

Object NameDoll

OriginJapan

MediumGofun

ClassificationsDolls, Doll Accessories, Toys and Games

Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number8.22.40

Status

Not on view

Collections

Dolls, Games and Toys

CultureJapanese

Label TextThis pair (see also 8.22.39) of Japanese festival dolls was originally owned by the Matsumoto family and would have been used during the official holiday Hina Matsuri, the Girls’ Festival. Established in 1687, the festival was held on March 3, and centered around the importance of marriage for young women. Families with girls ages seven to seventeen would prepare a doll exhibit for the day and open their homes for social visits from friends and relatives. Through a specific arrangement of the dolls, the festival showed girls the importance of tradition, taught reverence for the ruling house, explained the prevailing social order, encouraged filial piety and interpreted the history and culture of Japan. The dairi-bina, or emperor and empress, were placed on the top of a stair-like structure consisting of three, five or seven tiers. Descending tiers were lined with dolls depicting court members in order of rank followed by representations of food and furnishings, symbols of a successful marriage. A conventional set of dolls for the Girls’ Festival consisted of seventeen figures, although not all Japanese families could afford an entire set. Families of modest resources might only own the emperor and empress, considered essential in a household with female children. These dolls were constructed by covering a wood frame with a mixture of gofun, or pulverized oyster shells, and nikawa, a type of glue. After applying several layers, the mixture was allowed to harden then polished to a luster.

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