2014年02月28日
Dolls and Doll Makers
March 3 is Hinamatsuri, a festival to wish for the health and happiness of one’s daughters. Families with daughters traditionally set up an elaborate set of ceremonial dolls consisting of an empress with her consort and servants. You can enjoy some beautiful and rare examples of these doll sets in Shikokumura until March 24 (see end for details).
Hariko dolls
Speaking of dolls, Takamatsu has its own tradition of manufacturing “hariko” or paper mache dolls (photo above). The skill was introduced from Osaka sometime in the 17th century. One particular type of hariko doll originated in Takamatsu: Hokosan.
2 sizes of hokosan
Hokosan is modeled after a faithful serving girl, Ohmaki, who died so that her mistress would be cured of a serious illness (in some versions, she saves her master). Paper mache dolls in her image came to be used as protective charms for children. Today, they have become popular souvenirs.
Hariko dolls are made of layers washi (Japanese paper) and rice glue over a clay mold.
One of the best known hariko doll makers in Kagawa was Fusa Miyauji (1883-1985). She herself said that she made about 250 varieties of hariko, and they were of all sizes from tiny to huge.
Fusa Miyauji making a large Hokosan
Miyauji learned the trade from her father, who revived the dying craft. She then took it to a new level. The artistic merit of her work won her fans in both Japan and overseas. Here are some examples from a recent exhibit at the Stone Museum.
Tenjin (god of scholarship) riding a cow (featured on a commemorative stamp)
Piggyback ride
The folk hero Kintaro with tigers
A happy looking fisherman
Some of Fusa Miyauji works can also be seen in the Sanuki Folkcraft Museum in Ritsurin Garden http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/ritsurin/index_e.html )
Fusa Miyauji at work. She passed her skills on to her daughters, and at least one granddaughter. You can find hariko at folkcraft and souvenir shops in Takamatsu.
Shikokumura Doll Festival
Content: 33 doll sets are displayed in different buildings centered on the rural kabuki theater. This means that you can enjoy a lovely hike among the spring flowers when you go. In addition, the thatch roof of the sugar shack is being replaced during this time making this a rare opportunity to observe how thatching, a dying art, is done.
Dates: Feb 8 – Mar 24, 2014
Hours: 8:30-16:30
Park Admission: Adults JPY800 (High school JPY500, under 15 JPY300)
For more info on Takamatsu:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/
http://tia-takamatsu.jp/
http://www.my-kagawa.jp/eg/
Other Takamatsu bloggers:
http://pat.ashita-sanuki.jp/
http://ogijima.com
Hariko dolls
Speaking of dolls, Takamatsu has its own tradition of manufacturing “hariko” or paper mache dolls (photo above). The skill was introduced from Osaka sometime in the 17th century. One particular type of hariko doll originated in Takamatsu: Hokosan.
2 sizes of hokosan
Hokosan is modeled after a faithful serving girl, Ohmaki, who died so that her mistress would be cured of a serious illness (in some versions, she saves her master). Paper mache dolls in her image came to be used as protective charms for children. Today, they have become popular souvenirs.
Hariko dolls are made of layers washi (Japanese paper) and rice glue over a clay mold.
One of the best known hariko doll makers in Kagawa was Fusa Miyauji (1883-1985). She herself said that she made about 250 varieties of hariko, and they were of all sizes from tiny to huge.
Fusa Miyauji making a large Hokosan
Miyauji learned the trade from her father, who revived the dying craft. She then took it to a new level. The artistic merit of her work won her fans in both Japan and overseas. Here are some examples from a recent exhibit at the Stone Museum.
Tenjin (god of scholarship) riding a cow (featured on a commemorative stamp)
Piggyback ride
The folk hero Kintaro with tigers
A happy looking fisherman
Some of Fusa Miyauji works can also be seen in the Sanuki Folkcraft Museum in Ritsurin Garden http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/ritsurin/index_e.html )
Fusa Miyauji at work. She passed her skills on to her daughters, and at least one granddaughter. You can find hariko at folkcraft and souvenir shops in Takamatsu.
Shikokumura Doll Festival
Content: 33 doll sets are displayed in different buildings centered on the rural kabuki theater. This means that you can enjoy a lovely hike among the spring flowers when you go. In addition, the thatch roof of the sugar shack is being replaced during this time making this a rare opportunity to observe how thatching, a dying art, is done.
Dates: Feb 8 – Mar 24, 2014
Hours: 8:30-16:30
Park Admission: Adults JPY800 (High school JPY500, under 15 JPY300)
For more info on Takamatsu:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/
http://tia-takamatsu.jp/
http://www.my-kagawa.jp/eg/
Other Takamatsu bloggers:
http://pat.ashita-sanuki.jp/
http://ogijima.com
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
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