Hinamaturi -Doll’s Day or Japanese Girls’ Day Festival, we also eat special food.

Hinamaturi (Girls’ Day Festival, Doll’s Day) is held on March 3.

This is the annual event to pray for the young girl’s happiness and the growth.
Not all girl’s house have hinamaturi dolls, but before March 3 we decorate hinamaturi dolls.

Hinamaturi dolls.

First platform:

Emperor doll →we call him Odairi-sama (holding a ritual baton)
Empress doll →we call her Ohina-sama (holding a fan)

Accessories & Items: gold screen, lampstands →we call it Bonbori, two vases decorated artificial peach branch

In Kansai area in Japan the male is placed on the right (from the viewer's perspective) and Kanto area is opposite.

Second platform:

Three court ladies who are sake(Japan’s national liquor)-bearer.

Accessories & Items: stands with round table-tops for seasonal sweets.

Third platform:

Five male musicians who holds a musical instrument(drum or Jpananese Flute=Fue).
Only the musician who is a singer holds a fan.(on the right from the viewer's perspective )

Fourth platform:

The Minister of the Right (young person) (on the left from the viewer's perspective)
The Minister of the Left(old person)

They are equipped with bows and arrows.

Accessories & Items: bowl tables, diamond-shaped stands(for diamond-shaped ricecakes hishimochi ) , a mandarin orange tree ,a cherry blossom tree

Fifth platform:

Three helpers or samurai who protect Emperor and Empress. Maudlin drinker, Cantankerous drinker, Merry drinker.

They are having umbrella or shoes of emperor.But in some area they are having cleaning goods.

Sixth platform:

Items used within the palatial residence.

chest of drawers( sometimes with swinging outer covering doors), smaller clothing storage box ,mirror stand, sewing kit box, braziers, utensils for the tea ceremony.

Seventh platform:

Items used when away from the palatial residence.

food boxes, a palanquin, ox-drawn carriage favored by Heian nobility, an ox drawing a cart of flowers.

I introduced full set of hinamaturi dolls (seven platform sets).

Nowadays the house situation is changing, families who live in apartment tend to choose hinamaturi dolls for small space .(small dolls’ seven platform sets or less than seven platform sets)