Showing posts with label Emperor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emperor. Show all posts

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Heirlooms and Household Gods






The traditional Hina displays resemble shrines dedicated to household gods. In fact, the respect and honour shown to the Emperor and his court is in part devotion to the ancestors.

These are photographs of antique Hina dolls and a complete display. The oldest imperial pair of dolls dates from the Edo or early Meiji period in the late 19th century.

The Emperor's Court



Here is another Hina-Matsuri display, dating probably from the 1970s or 1980s. It utilises figures made from porcelain. The original traditional Hina-Matsuri displays often were created over time, like Western 'Nativity sets' and the figures would be real dolls, elaborately dressed in silks. Perhaps a family would acquire a new doll or accessory each year, and these would be passed from mother to daughter. This particular set was not an expensive one, but it is interesting to compare it to the paper 'pop-up card'. As populations expand, many people have no space for large seasonal displays. People move more frequently as well, and it is difficult to drag objects like dolls from city to city or even continent to continent.