3.3.18

hinamatsuri


 Let's light the lanterns on the tiered stand,
Let's arrange the peach blossom branches.
Five court musicians are playing flutes & drums.
Today is a joyful Dolls' Festival.
-- Traditional Song

Hinamatsuri is celebrated in Japan on March 3rd. For this festival, families bring out a special set of dolls dressed in traditional court costumes of the Heian period, and modern doll designs are popular, too.  


This tradition inspired me to design a set of Hinamatsuri dolls for my first book (Making Peg Dolls, Hawthorn Press 2012), but this morning, I felt like updating my design and making a new set (see photo at top of the post).

photo courtesy of folkeshi

And my recent entree into the world of Instagram has sparked a renewed interest for me in kokeshi. Via Instagram, I've become acquainted with Laetitia Hebert who runs the shop Folkeshi where she carries a beautiful collection of vintage and modern dolls -- I've become especially enamored with the modern designs of Hiraga Teruyuki and Tayama Izumi.

Below are two videos of kokeshi artists at work.  They're mesmerizing.






Happy Hinamatusuri!

5 comments:

  1. Love your books. Have produced many of the peg dolls. The other day I was reading about the Hindu festival of Holi. How might you make peg dolls to commemorate that?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Carolyn -- Thank you for saying hello! What a fun question about the holiday of Holi. I think I would make dolls with subtle markings to indicate that they were wearing saris (or other traditional clothing from India), and once the the dolls were created, I would splash them randomly with paint!

      Best wishes,
      mb

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  2. Hi Margaret, thank you for the mention! Your first set of Hina should have taken so much time to make! A friend from Japan just wrote me about celebrating the first Hinamatsuri of her newborn girl. The lucky darling has a wonderful set of heavily detailed dolls in Heian kimono - that she isn't allowed to touch yet...

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    Replies
    1. The first set of hina for my book DID take a long time... mostly because I had difficulty choosing colors for their kimono (and coming up for the design for those paper lanterns). Luckily I have a Japanese friend who was very patient with me, explaining all details: the red platform, special mats, blossoms, lanterns, etc... Your friend’s baby IS lucky to have such a special set of dolls!
      mb

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