Hina Doll Festival of the Owari Tokugawa Family

“Hina Matsuri of the Owari Tokugawa Family” in its 39th year is widely regarded as a seasonal tradition that heralds the arrival of early spring in Nagoya and is enjoyed by visitors across multiple generations. Held annually to coincide with the Girls’ Day Festival (Hina Matsuri), the exhibition showcases a remarkable collection of Hina dolls and decorative displays passed down through the Owari Tokugawa family, the foremost of the Tokugawa Gosanke (the three main Tokugawa houses).

Exhibition Highlights

Yusoku-bina of Princess Kanehime

Princess Kanehime (1831-1902), who became the wife of the 14th head of the Owari Tokugawa family at the age of 18, lived through the turbulent transition from the late Edo period to the Meiji era. Her Hina dolls, known as Yusoku-bina, are crafted based on accurate scholarly research into aristocratic court attire. The dolls on display wear sokutai, the most formal style of court dress, reflecting rank, season, and ceremonial context.

Bridal Furnishings: Original and Miniature

Hina dolls were traditionally regarded as spiritual stand-ins for noble daughters. For this reason, miniature bridal furnishings (hina-dogu) were prepared for the dolls when a princess married. The Tokugawa Art Museum preserves both the actual wedding trousseaux used by Owari Tokugawa princesses and the miniature replicas created for their dolls. This year’s exhibition presents both versions of kaioke (clam-shell containers) side by side, allowing visitors to compare craftsmanship and materials. Both the full-sized and miniature sets are made using real hamaguri clam shells, demonstrating uncompromising attention to detail.

Grand Tiered Hina Display of the Owari Tokugawa Family

Large-scale Hina displays became common among daimyo families from the mid-Edo period onward. In the Owari Tokugawa household, sliding doors were opened throughout the residence to create expansive multi-room displays. The grand tiered display exhibited at the museum today features dolls and furnishings belonging to the wives of three successive generations of Owari Tokugawa family heads from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods. The arrangement includes Hina dolls, furnishings, costume-changing figures, and animal dolls, all arranged over the course of a full day.

First Public Display: Toshima Family Hina Dolls

The exhibition also features Hina dolls donated by Toshima Tomoko, shown to the public for the first time. Originally commissioned by her family, the wealthy Nagoya merchant Tomita family, the dolls were brought into the Toshima household upon marriage. These wood-carved, colour-painted dolls feature refined facial expressions and were painted by Japanese artist Morimura Yoshine (1871-1938). The display incorporates classical court patterns and the Tomita family crest, reflecting the dignity and aesthetic sensibility of an established household.

Tickets can be purchased online.