Exhibition Room 2　Japan's Ningyo from the Collection

Hina Ningyo

The roots of the hina ningyo can be found in their use as surrogates, as objects in human form, in purification and exorcism rituals.From flat paper hina and standing hina, they developed into seated hina.Then a host of styles evolved, from Kan’ei and Kyoho-bina style, the Jirozaemon-bina style fashionable among the upper classes, and the yusoku-bina style, in traditional court dress, favored by the aristocracy.The gorgeous kokin-bina style, which emerged in the latter half of the eighteenth century, became hugely popular, and their impact can be seen in today’s hina ningyo.