KOTO: This doll depicts a beautiful young girl playing the koto, a traditional Japanese harp with 13 strings. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
OTTAWA—In honour of the 80th anniversary of Japan-Canada relations, the Embassy of Japan is hosting a series of arts and cultural events in Ottawa. Part of this series is a unique Japanese dolls exhibition on display at the Takahashi Dojo School of Martial Arts.
“The Dolls of Japan” is a travelling exhibit created by the Japan Foundation. By showcasing Japan’s rich culture of dolls, the exhibit endeavours to enhance international understanding of the customs of Japan and the aspirations of its people.
In Japanese tradition, dolls are cherished not only as toys for children but also as works of art that have deep connections to everyday life.
The myriad of styles of dolls in the exhibit provides a feast for the eyes. The elegant collection displays the beauty of Japanese textiles, regional characteristics, expert craftsmanship, along with traditional themes and costumes from different festivals, historical periods, myths and legends, and ancient forms of Japanese theatre.
SHOKI: This doll for the Boys’ Festival represents Shoki, a general from Chinese mythology believed able to protect people from devils who bring disease and misfortune. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
Japan celebrates two festivals during which dolls play an important part. March 3 of each year is the Doll Festival, or Hina Matsuri, whose role is to pray for the future good health and happiness of young girls.
From the middle of February to March 3, families with daughters set out a display of 15 hina dolls dressed in imperial costumes of the Heian period (794 – 1185 A.D.). The two most important figures are the elaborately adorned Emperor and Empress dolls that are placed at the highest, most prominent position.
The corresponding Boys’ Festival, or Tango no Sekku, is held on May 5. It coincides with Children’s Day, a public holiday in Japan. Families with sons display warrior dolls along with miniature samurai helmets, armour, and weapons while they offer prayers that their sons will grow up to be healthy, strong, and successful.
This pair of imperial dolls is representative of the kind of emperor and empress dolls from Japan’s Heian period (794 – 1185 A.D.) that are displayed in Japanese homes with daughters during the period leading up to the Girls’ Festival on March 3. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku are the three great forms of classical theatre in Japan. Several of the dolls in the exhibit depict famous characters and scenes from these theatres.
Noh plays have been performed in Japan since the 1400s during the Muromachi period (1338 – 1573 A.D.). In Noh drama, actors wear masks and elaborate costumes while they dance accompanied by chanting and instrumental music.
Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theatre that originated in the Edo period (1603 – 1868 A.D.). It shares many of the same stories and themes also performed in Japan’s traditional puppet theatre, Bunraku, such as historical events, love stories, and moral conflicts.
EEMPEROR AND EMPRESS KIMEKOMI-STYLE: This pair of standing imperial dolls for the Girls’ Festival is made using the kimekomi technique of pasting coloured cloth onto a doll’s body to create the costume. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
Bunraku puppets are half life-size figures about a metre tall, each manipulated by three puppeteers in full view of the audience. Bunraku theatre also originated in the Edo period.
“The Dolls of Japan” runs until October 15 at the Takahashi Dojo School of Martial Arts at 5 Melrose Avenue in Ottawa. It is open Sunday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Saturdays.
BURIBURI: During the Edo period (1603 – 1868 A.D.) children traditionally played a New Year’s Day game that uses a wooden hammer, called buriburi, to hit a ball. This doll depicts a child pulling a buriburi. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
WARRIOR’S FIRST BATTLE: Displayed during the Boys’ Festival, this doll is of a young warrior dressed and equipped to go to his first battle. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
SUMO CHAMPION: This Hakata clay doll depicts a grand champion sumo wrestler performing a spectacular ritual before a match. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
PLAYING TAG: This set of dolls depicts a group of children playing a game of tag. The child who is “it” is chasing a line of children trying to catch the child at the end of the line. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
SAMURAI OF KURODA: A Hakata doll based on the legend of a man who gulped down sake in a large cup and obtained a spear as a prize. Hakata dolls are clay dolls made in the Hakata area of Kyushu island. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
IMPERIAL PALACE DOLL: Imperial Palace (Gosho) Dolls are made with large heads and fair skin to convey the sweet appearance of small children. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
ICHIMATSU PRINCE: This Ichimatsu doll depicts an imperial prince. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
OSOME: This doll is based on the famous Bunraku puppet drama of the tragic love story of Osome, a wealthy merchant’s beautiful daughter, and Hisamatsu, one of Osome’s father’s apprentices. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
ICHIMATSU CHILDREN: Ichimatsu dolls depict Japanese children and were originally made in the image of Kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichi-matsu who specialized in portraying young girls. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
YOUNG LION: This Hakata clay doll depicts a boy playing with a mask of a lion’s head. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
OKINA: This doll depicts Okina, an old man from a Noh play who holds a fan while dancing in celebration of longevity and world peace. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
‘THE DOLLS OF JAPAN’: An exhibit created by The Japan Foundation on display at the Takahashi Dojo School of Martial Arts in Ottawa, Canada. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
WISTERIA MAIDEN: This doll is based on story of the beautiful Fuji Musume (Wisteria Maiden) from the famous Kabuki dance. The Wisteria Maiden is a figure from a painting who comes to life when she falls in love with a young man admiring the painting. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
PASSING TIME: This doll made using the Kimekomi technique depicts a woman of the Edo period (1603 – 1868 A.D.) absorbed in a good book. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
Matsukaze, from the Kabuki dance Shiokumi, is a young woman who makes salt from seawater. Her lover has returned to Kyoto and in this scene she is dancing to happy memories while wearing his courtier’s gold hat and beautiful clothing. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times )
FIRST EMPEROR: Emperor Jinmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan. Legend has it that a golden raven perched on the tip of his bow and he used its light to force his enemies to surrender. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
GOLDEN BOY: This doll depicts Kintaro, a boy of Herculean strength who wrestles with bears and grows up to be a famous warrior. He carries a hatchet and is holding a carp, a symbol of strength, courage, and good luck. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
HANASUGATA: A beautifully dressed young lady. (Cindy Chan/The Epoch Times)
