Hina and Japanese Dolls

According to the old lunar calendar, the third day of the third month is the date of the peach blossom festival. Families traditionally celebrate this occasion by displaying hina dolls, symbolizing their prayers for a healthy and safe childhood for their daughters.

The origins of this tradition are unclear, but records reveal it had become an annual event by the early Edo period (1603-1868). The "Edo Kanoko" guidebook, written during the Jokyo era (1684-88), mentions hina doll markets being opened at several locations within Edo (present-day Tokyo), including Nakabashi, Owarimachi, Ningyocho, and Kojimachi.

During the first half of the Edo period, the main type of hina were standing dolls made of paper, similar to the human-shaped paper charms used in magical rites during the Heian period. In the mid-Edo period, the seated posture type, adorned in courtly attire, emerged. Variations included Muromachi-bina dolls clothed in Muromachi fashion; Kyoho-bina, which represent an imperial couple and were the model for the popular Dairi-bina of later years; Kansai-style Jirozaemon-bina, with round white faces; and Kokin-bina, which were popular in Edo. Even after the spread of seated hina dolls, however, the old standing types continued to be displayed alongside their seated counterparts.

While today it has become standard to display one set of Dairi-bina, in earlier times the manner of display was not restricted. Old pictorial sources show many different dolls being displayed liberally. The term hina derives from hina-gata the term for "miniature". Delicately crafted, these hina dolls show the affection and tastes of the maker as well as the customer, reflecting the Japanese people's characteristic love of minature objects.