Clay Dolls and Small Kites
高松だるま―張子、土人形とミニ凧
During a recent trip to Takamatsu, I checked about some famous local dolls
of the town.
Takamatsu Papermachee Dolls (hariko 張子)
They are representatives not only of Kagawa Prefecture but of all of Shikoku
Island. There are more than 150 different types of dolls of this kind.
The tradition goes back more than 300 years to the period of Kanei (1624
-1644), when Lord Tokugawa Tanoshige ruled the area and brought some makers
of papermachee dolls with him from Hitachi, present day Ibaragi Prefecture.
They all made different-looking Daruma dolls and the area soon became
famous for this. Towards the end of the Edo Period the influence of the
Fushimi Dolls of Kyoto and the Hariko of Osaka was also felt.
But after World War Two, only Mrs. Miyauchi Fusa was left, born as the
third generation in a doll maker family. She made famous Wedding Dolls
and other types, more than 130 at all and eight different Darumas. One
of them is the Daruma with a Headband. This Daruma has a flat head and
the auspicious pine/bamboo/plum pattern on his belly. Some have little
stones inside and make a little noise when you shake it. Lately Miyauchi
Masae has been taking up the tradition.
http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/eizo/vol002/japan/data34_m.htm
日本語は全日本だるま研究会の今井先生の本をお勧めします。
The most popular of the present day Takamatsu Hariko are the following
types:
Drinking Monkey Daruma: The Chinese God of Drinking in a dark cloak
with a big cup, symbol of a safe live without accidents and long life.
Daruma with a Headband: The headband with blue dots around the flat
head, the auspicious pattern of pine/bamboo/plum on his body.
The Sumo wrestler: The name of the famous local sumo wrestler Kuroiwa
黒岩関 is written on the decoration belt of the little doll.
Tanuki Daruma, as we have met before in a separate story.
Takamatsu Clay Dolls (tsuchiningyoo 土人形)
During the Meiji Period, many clay doll makers lived in the district of
Kajichoo 鍛冶屋 in Takamatsu.
Some producers of papermachee dolls also made clay dolls, especially the
Wedding Dolls. Some small clay dolls formed with the fingers into rough
shapes in the tradition of Tsutsumi Dolls (tsutsumi ningyoo つつみ人形)
were made by Miyauchi Masae (born 1910).
On the following HP you can find some examples of Miyauchi's dolls.
Look close at the boy holding a lobster (ebidaki 海老抱き) and the dog
holding a fish (chintai 狆鯛).
宮内マサさんの人形はこちらにあります。
http://www.concentric.net/~etakiti/takamatsu.html
The Servant Girl (Hookoo san 奉公さん)
http://www.infocreate.co.jp/hometown/takamatsu/dentoh.html
One of the famous dolls of Takamatsu is "The Servant Girl"
(hookoo san 奉公さん). She has no arms or legs and looks almost like a
wooden doll (kokeshi こけし). She has the round face of a a young girl,
wearing a red gown with the lucky pattern of pine needles, green bamboo
and plum flowers (shoochikubai 松竹梅).
Here is her sad story: The young girl Okuni was servant to a princess.
Her face was ugly but her heart was of gold. One day the princess became
ill with high fever and would not get better. So Okuni took on the illness
of her princess unto herself and then drowned herself in the ocean. Soon
the princess got well and people started to talk about Okuni and her noble
deed as one of "good service". Thus the dolls came into beeing.
Later when a child was ill with fever the child was given a doll of Hookoo
san to hug and then the doll was thrown into the ocean. Miraculously the
child would then get better.
Many dolls in Japan have a dress of stark red, since red is the color
to ward of illness and evil. So the dress of the Servant Girl is bright
red too.
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~SA9S-HND/agal-970-1.html
Wedding Dolls (Yomeiri Ningyoo 嫁入人形)
The wedding dolls were made of clay until the mid-Meiji period and then
changed to be made of papermachee.
These lovely little figures made of clay were given to the neighbours
living next to the bride and groom at a wedding. Now this custom has stopped,
but the dolls are still made as one of Tamakatsu's traditional items for
good luck.
http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/eizo/vol002/japan/data35_m.htm
The dolls have the following auspicious implications:
The sea bream (tai 鯛): for a happy event, a play of words with MEDE-TAI.
The dog (inu いぬ): another play of words with INU＝INAI. The bride
has gone and will not come back to her parent's home. This is also a talisman
for a safe birth.
The bull (ushiうし): May the bride work as diligent as a bull.
The God Daikoku on a sack of money (大黒さま): May the couple never
be in need of money.
A horse carrying a bundle of straw (俵馬): May the couple never be
in need of food.
Dolls of a couple (fuufu ningyoo 夫婦人形): May the couple be kind
to each other.
A tiger (tora トラ): May they be blessed with children strong as tigers.
A sumo wrestler (sumo Daruma 角力ダルマ): May they be blessed with
children as strong as this sumo wrestler.
The servant girl (hookoo san 奉公さん): Talisman for good health, as
we have seen above.
A hare (usagiうさぎ): May the bride be always as kind and lovable as
a little rabbit.
A lucky hammer (振槌): If a boy was born, this lucky item was send
to the family of the bride back home.
A horse or lion head mask or Chinese tiger or the Drinking Monkey God
(shoojoo 猩猩): All painted in strong red to ward off evil and bring luck.
Shoojoo is also a word used for a heavy drinker.
Racoon dog Daruma (see the story about Tanuki): In rememberance of
the Tanuki of Yashima. He is the talisman for good luck and good fortune.
Fukusuke and Otafuku, two funny figures during the Edo Period, are
also bringing good fortune. We will meet them in a separate story.
You can buy some of these dolls at the store "Hisaroku" ひさ六
in Takamatsu
ひさ六 高松市片原町10―11 TEL: 087-851-1563.
I visited the store in June 2002 and got some of the dolls mentioned above,
see pictures later. Many dolls are not for sale any more, since the makers
have passed away and nobody is taking up the tradition. Mrs. Miyauchi
is still doing a few at a time and I ordered some to pick up in October.
The store has many shelves with the Takamatsu Dolls to show like a museum
and is well worth a visit.
高松のお人形がたくさん並べてあり、まるで張子の資料館のようです。ぜひ見学にいってください。
http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/eizo/vol002/japan/data35_m.htm
The Wedding Dolls were also subject of a stamp, as you can find out on
this interesting HP in English about stamps with Japanese Doll motives.
高松の嫁入人形は切手の絵にもなりました。
Takamatsu Wedding Doll
"Child on a Bull"
http://www.jp.from-hanna.com/leisure/hobbies/stamps/history4.html
Now let us look at the figures I got. First the Daruma with a Headband
(鉢巻だるま). He is about 12 cm high and has a lable saying "宮内張子"
and the name Mikiko みきこwritten in Hiragana.
Now the Sumo Daruma. His little breast and navel are painted meticulously
and you can almost feel the fingers that kneeded this little fellow.
角力ダルマ。作った人の指跡が感じられます。胸やお臍がとても丁寧に描かれています。
The little Lucky Girl (fukumusume) with her red dress. Her handmade touch
is quite delightful.
手づくりの暖かさいっぱいの赤い着物の福娘。
A clay bell with a simple face of Daruma. The mouth is in the form of
Mt. Fuji and the character for winning a fight KATSU 勝 on the belly.
勝だるまの土鈴。口元は富士山のようです。
And finally some small kites with Daruma. Here he is flanked by other
figures of good luck, mouted as a wall decoration.
最後にミニ凧です。壁飾りになっています。
This Daruma on a long pin is ment to be used as a decoration for an auspicious
situation, for example during the New Year.
This concludes the walk around Takamatsu.
But I want to take this chance to introduce you to just one more speciality
I found on this trip. I am very fond of old trees and also of international
Mandala renderings, but to find something that unites both was quite a
surpirse.
Have a look at this phantastic MANDALA TREE! He stands in the garden
of a temple called "Mandala Temple", Nr. 72 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
Kooboo Daishi planted it himself when he returned from China and dedicated
this temple to the rememberance of his mother.
「不老の松」
See also the following HP for a Japanese explanation.
日本語はこちら。
http://www.fmkagawa.co.jp/yomu/88/88-72.htm
The sad part of the story about the Never-Aging Pine: Since autumn 2001
the pine weevil found its way here and now the whole tree is withered
and dead!
とても寂しい話ですが去年の秋から松食い虫にやられ、いまはほとんど茶色になって枯れています。
gokuraku@po.harenet.ne.jp
