Hōko (doll)

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A hōko (

women in Japan to protect both mother and unborn child.[1] Traditionally, hōko dolls were made of silk and human hair,[2] and stuffed with cotton.[3] The dolls could be made for both boys and girls. Boys' dolls would be given up and "consecrated" at a shrine when boys came of age at 15 years old,[4] while girls would give up their dolls at marriage.[4] The dolls were given to children either at birth, or on special days shortly after birth.[4]
Pregnant woman would be given new ones, so as to protect her and her unborn child together, for the duration of the pregnancy.

History

Hōko can be traced back to "

children
).

Amagatsu

Amagatsu (天児; derivation unclear), also known-as "guardian dolls" or "hoko-hina" ("lowly child dolls"), are another type of doll similar in function as an amulet or talisman to the hōko doll, documented back to at least the 11th century with a mention in The Tale of Genji.[6] Amagatsu were of simple construction: pairs of sticks (wood or bamboo) were strapped together--with the body and arms traditionally forming a "T" shape--a stuffed silk cloth head was attached-on-top and clothing draped on it. Sources mentioning the specific term hōko start appearing in the Heian period, but are more apparent in the Muromachi period of Japan's history;[6] in the Muromachi era (1333-1568), these figures were kept by a child's bedside to ward off evil. It is also thought that a child's clothes should be hung on the T-form of the amagatsu, like a kimono stand, to take any evil elements away from the clothes. The hoko consisted of white silk stuffed with cotton and was presented to a child on his/her birth, often as an ubuyashinai (gift to a baby on the 3rd, 5th, and 9th nights). Used for both boys and girls, these dolls were a constant in their early life. Boys would keep them until the age of 15, when their "guardians" would be consecrated at a nearby shrine. In later years, the amagatsu and hōko dolls became essentially the same thing, with the dolls more commonly made out of cloth and other soft materials.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781462907205
    .
  2. ISBN 9781462905881
    .
  3. ^ "Glossary". Netsuke and Japanese Art Online Research Center. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Pate, Alan. "The Hina Matsuri - A Living Tradition". Antique Japanese Dolls. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. ISBN 9789004261945
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 9780691604718
    .
  7. Tōkyō: Shogakukan
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