26/02/2026
My Hinamatsuri Display
My mother-in-law gifted me this doll set, and I made a cedar platform with six tiers, inspired by the Taisho and Meiji eras. I arrange the court in my unique way each year as February ends and display it until the end of March, then store it away until next year. I love packing like some kind of psycho!
This is the Japan I admire! Not that exported, altered version or the minimalist style marketed as a goofy spiritual path. I’m captivated by Japan’s elaborate, maximalist side. The layering, small details, and feeling of collecting and cherishing things as family heirlooms. The colorful handmade pieces stored away all year and brought out to participate. Isn’t life about this? About doing things, not just going places. I fu***ng love maximalist Japan!
Hinamatsuri, celebrated on March 3rd: Doll’s Day, has a fascinating history. One story tells of Princess Meisho, an empress regnant, who couldn’t marry. Her mother created a court of dolls to symbolize her daughter’s unfulfilled life. It was a symbolic marriage of happiness made entirely from objects. By 1687, it became official, doll production took off, and like all things made here, it came with a million little rules: each figure had to be placed exactly right, there was a strict order, and everything had to be perfectly correct.
Back then, most families couldn’t afford all of it, so ordinary people made tsurushi-bina, hanging ornaments sewn from scraps of old kimono. They used what they had to join in on the seasonal rhythm. I love this the most, it’s resourceful, intimate, and handmade. Now these are wildly expensive. Weird how what begins as a need often transforms into a luxury.
In Japan today, families less commonly keep hina displays at home due to small apartments, houses and limited storage. The tradition of passing down sets from grandmother to mother to daughter has changed. Hinamatsuri is now more of a public event, seen rather than cared for. I feel sad about this change. It’s different to watch a tradition unfold than to be part of it. To connect with families who couldn’t afford fancy court sets, I use felt and yarn tsurushi-bina for my display. I have a school, people are in and out of it all day long, and nobody comments on this display.
