Japan History and Culture

The Tachibina ( standing hina dolls, 立雛, 紙雛)

The Tachibina is an older form of Japanese Hina dolls from the early Edo period  (1603-1827). The earlier Tachi bina dolls were not made to stand up, instead they were made to lay down or lean on the display. The faces of this set appear to be old with a beautiful sparkle on Gofun, probably from the late Edo to early Meji period.

The “Tachibina”, which is consist of a pair, one male (large, with outstretched protective arms) and one female (smaller, armless). The male is usually about 38 cm high, while the female is around 23 cm. They are generally made of paper and are relatively two dimensional. He wears a kosode, or short-sleeved kimono, and hakama pants, all of paper, while her kosode is constructed simply of paper wrapped cylindrically around her and tied with a paper obi sash.

They are related to very ancient protective figures (the amagatsu, a cross of bamboo with a head, and the hoko, an almost armless stuffed doll). They also evoke and sometimes replace the elaborate emperor and empress hina-ningyo which girls display at Hina Matsuri. When made of paper or inexpensive materials, they are appropriate for the nagashibina ceremony, the ancestor of Hina Matsuri, in which dolls are touched or rubbed to absorb one’s sins, and then thrown into a river.

The pair can also be made of various more durable materials (kimekomi, wood, pottery, or complex construction like hina) and today represent marriage.