Without Hina Dolls・・・

 a pair of folding screens of  my Hina dolls

 My Hina dolls are not at home any more but under a stone monument at a temple. I had a simple set of Hina dolls, consisting of the emperor , empress, their furniture, household goods and a pair of folding screens .  They came to my house, being  handed from the elder sister of my mother when I was born. They were crafted around 1900. More than fifteen  years ago, my pretty empress had a deep scar  on the face accidentally.  I asked my mother if she knew a good craftsman to cure my empress. She told me it was about time for her to sleep in peace and advised me to take my dolls to a temple where every autumn they would perform the  memorial service for dolls , set the dolls on fire(a kind of cremation) and place their ashes under the stone monument . At last I decided to take them to the temple. How I loved their adorable faces! How I loved the elaborate and delicate crown of the empress!  Since then, their  miniature furniture and other items in the wooden boxes had been kept in  the closet.

My mother's friend's empress, 100 years old

There is a custom in Japan that parents give their daughter a set of Hina dolls at birth or on her first birthday, and  celebrate her growth  wishing for her happiness and health.The set of the Hina dolls with the  miniature furniture, household goods and other items are displayed for a several days before Hina Doll Festival held on March 3rd. Some sets are very gorgeous and others are very simple. Hina dolls are very special for girls and  more than the dolls. Even though the dolls are broken or soil  over the years, we never throw them away like garbage.

  

 I remembered them as Hina Doll Festival was coming. I decided to celebrate Hina Doll Festival 

 by displaying their belongings once more.

Let's me show you some of them・・・the miniature furniture, household goods

 and a pair of folding screens of my Hina dolls.  Without their masters, they look lonesome.

All of them are almost 100 years old and I feel very sorry for them

 because I have not taken care of them carefully to preserve them.

table service 

lunch box 

sowing set

charcoal brazier

Japanese-style chest

wooden boxes for Kimono, Japanese national dress 

 side table 

Among them, I especially love  a pair of folding screens.

Drawings on the screens depict  noble people in the 10th century celebrating  New Year's Day.

In those days, the beautiful women had to have long inky hair, slit eyes and plump cheeks.

Don't you think the standard of the beauty differs from time to time??

They are three happy trees,  pine, bamboo and Ume -Japanese apricot. 

For your reference.

Compare them with my cellular phone, so you will know how big they are.

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