The Soul of the Japanese Doll

Even to this day in Japan, dolls are not only considered objects of decoration or entertainment, but living creatures as well. An expression of such special behavior is found in the ceremonies of Doll Burial. When the doll's owner must reluctantly throw it away, he takes it to a temple where old and new dolls, both costly and ordinary ones, are piled together. After the owners say their last farewell and express their deep gratitude, the dolls are burnt to ashes.

The Hina Ningyo Dolls are found in many varieties but two main types are distinguished. The first group of dolls is called Kyohina. They are popular in the region around Kyoto, the old capital city of Japan. The other group of dolls is called Edohina and is characteristic of the region around Tokyo, the capital city of Japan.

Kyohina Emperor doll.

Kyohina Empress doll.

This standing musician plays a traditional hand drum. Notice his raised hand, which suggests the moment just before or after he has struck the instrument.

In the fourth tier appear the Emperor's two armed guardians. The young man on the left is responsible for the warfare and the old man on the right side is responsible for the study of science. Below this pair sit three servants who take care of the Emperor’s garden.

The Minister of the Left (shown here) is shown as a wise, older statesman, carrying his bow and arrow, and sword. His younger counterpart, the Minister of the Right appears to his right.

The facial expressions of the Emperor's gardeners are varied, expressing the human emotions of joy, wrath, and sorrow.

Imperial servant expressing wrath.

An imperial servant expressing sorrow.

Miniature pair of black and red lacquer table stands and matching set of serving bowls and containers are elegantly decorated with gold designs.

The two little trees stand for the tangerines planted on the left side of the Emperor's garden, and for the morellos planted on the right side.

Hina Ningyo of a flowering and fruiting Mandarin orange tree from the Imperial garden.

Hina Ningyo of a Blossoming Cherry Tree [Morello] from the Imperial garden.

With the help of Hina Ningyo the family utters up a prayer for happy marriage of their female child as the Japanese believe that if the decoration is left displayed after the festival is over she will marry too late.

Such ceremony is difficult to be understood by foreigners, but Japanese treat dolls as living creatures possessing heart and soul.

Their great admiration for their beautiful dolls has led to constant technical advances. The applied materials are more diverse and manufacture of items more precise, for example, in the weaving and dying of the textiles used for the doll's clothes.

The wood, lacquer, and gilt elements of their furnishings and miniature accessories are made with great precision.

Here, the miniature lacquered headdress, sword, bow, and arrow belonging to the Minister of the Left.

Although the range of colors used and the manufacturing method of the dolls reflect the typical style of the corresponding historic period, they always express the Japanese feeling for beauty.

A set of the most popular Japanese dolls for girls.

Samurai doll wearing antler helmet.

Full-sized Samurai armor in the Edo period gusoku style. This type of armor was portable because it was lighter weight and could be folded up.

At that time the festival became very popular amongst common people as well, who began to follow the example of the samurais and decorate their houses with paper helmets and wooden spears.

In the Edo period (17th-19th century) the Tango no Sekku tradition was highly respected. In front of the entrance of the samurai home weapons, helmets and flags were arranged. In the middle of that period, people decorated their courtyards instead with Koi-Nabori (fish banners and windsocks) that fly overhead. A decoration of a school of carp (gold fish) - a traditional symbol of military courage - would appear to drift in the sky overhead, as if moving in a clear stream of water. This view is frequently seen in Japan in May.

Carp (koi) are a fish which demonstrates a strong will to live, inhabiting both clear and turbid (muddy) waters. They swim against strong currents, and are considered a very courageous animal. Koi, therefore, came to personify the hope that a male child overcomes difficulties, grows to be physically and mentally strong, and capable of taking full responsibility for his own actions.

By decorating their home with Koi-Nabori the family utters up a prayer to the gods to protect its boy. Yaguruma, a wheel with a ball rotated by the wind, is put on the top of the stick above the carps. The wheel symbolizes courage, and the ball represents a vessel to be filled with luck and happiness. A family of carps drifting in the sky expanse, which can be resembled to clear water, is a view frequently seen in Japan in May.

By decorating their home with Kodomo Taisho - the samurai doll shown here - the Japanese express the wish that a male child becomes a good man. Created around 1980, this doll has a relatively brief and new history.

On the occasion of Tango No Sekku Festival wishes for health and success of the family sons and well-being of the whole family are being sent. All family members celebrate together to strengthen the spiritual links between them and turn this day into an unforgettable memory.

About the history of the exhibit

This exhibition has been established due to the cooperation between Regional museum of history, Plovdiv and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) , which dates back to 1999. In the beginning of 2004 we welcomed Yuko Nakajima and during one of our first talks she revealed us the magic of the Japanese doll, which uniquely represents the life in the distant country. Fascinated by the marvelous photos we accepted the proposal to set up an exhibition with Japanese dolls hoping to get at least ten original exhibits. Yuko sent an appeal for support to her friends from the Saitama Prefecture, which is found to the north of the capital of Tokyo. Marutake Dolls Company and the International Cooperation Association in Saitama responded to the appeal and set up a community called ”Let's Send Dolls to Bulgaria". The secured free grant needed transportation for which we got support under the JICA Program: “For Smiles All Over the World”. The shipment arrived in July 2005 – six cases with total weight of 430 kg. These dolls you see now at the exhibition which we called The Soul of the Japanese Doll. This exhibition has been realized in 2010 as per artistic design by Konstantin Kambarev with the financial support of the Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria. We say our thanks to Yuko Nakajima, to our Japanese friends for the wonderful gesture and to His Excellency Tsuneharu Takeda, ambassador of Japan in Bulgaria.