Exhibition Room 2 Japan's Ningyo from the Collection
Ningyo for Seasonal Celebrations
The sekku celebrations are seasonal turning points of the year, days for making offerings and praying to the gods. The custom of calling odd-numbered days when the day of the month and the month are duplicated sekku was introduced from China in the distant past. By the Edo period, there were five sekku festival days: Jinjitsu (the 7th of the 1st month), Joshi (the 3rd of the 3rd month), Tango (the 5th of the 5th month), Shichiseki (the 7th of the 7th month), and Choyo (the 9th of the 9th month).The rites performed at Joshi (exorcism and purification rituals to remove pollution and prevent disease and disaster) were combined with the custom of girls from aristocratic families playing with ningyo. The result, in the Edo period, was the Hina Matsuri (the 3rd of the 3rd month), at which displays of hina ningyo adorned the festival dedicated to praying for girls’healthy growth. Similarly, gogatsu ningyo (fifth-month ningyo) came to decorate the Tango seasonal festival (the 5th of the 5th month), with prayers for boys. Ningyo culture flourished, with these seasonal festivals providing a major source of inspiration.
