Nagashibina, © Tottori Prefecture

The origin of nagashibina dolls can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185), and their production in Tottori prefecture began sometime during the Edo period (1615-1868). On March 3 of the lunar calendar each year, pairs of male and female paper dolls are placed on sandawara (straw discs) along with hishimochi (rhombus-shaped rice cakes) and twigs from the apricot tree. They are then set afloat on the water of the Sendai-gawa river as people pray for peace and prosperity, symbolically transferring misfortune and impurity onto the paper dolls.