508 E no Egakihajime [The Beginnings of My Painting Hobby]

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I began to paint pictures with painting kabuto ningyos (clay dolls of samurais wearing helmets) displayed in my house, celebrating my younger brother’s first Boy’s Festival on the 5th day of the 5th month in the year Meiji 33 of the lunar calendar (June 1, 1900). The dolls were simply made of clay, but they were colored beautifully. (The dolls were no taller than 40 cm.) I painted only a Kiyomasa Kato doll. Most of the other dolls were warrior dolls, such as Yoshitsune Minamoto or a naked boy stepping on a tiger, and so on. Also during the first New Year Holidays after my brother was born, these dolls were displayed as decorations to celebrate the New Year. However, most pit workers’ houses including ours did not have any alcoves and they were just placed in a corner on the floor of my house. They were not bought by our family but given to us by someone.

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Each of the dolls was sitting on a chair in a half-crouching position. It is said that the real Kiyomasa’s helmet was 90 cm tall and made of paper coated with astringent persimmon juice. But the helmet the doll had was almost the same size as its face.