Dairi Bina Dolls
41 cm high x 39.5 cm wide
Cat. 110663, 110664
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Gillette
© The Field Museum

This o-bina doll, or Imperial prince doll, is dressed in the sokutai dress, a formal court lord costume originating in the Heian period (794-1192) and used still in modern times for formal ceremonies by the emperor. The color scheme is predominantly green. He wears white shitozu socks, red oguchi-bakama pants, and white brocade ueno-hakama outer pants with stitching open on the sides, showing the red oguchi-bakama underneath. Two layers of akome-to-hitoe, or lowest layer of kimono, are plain unpatterned white silk and two shitagasane, or middle layer kimono, are red and green silk. The top layer of under kimono is in white silk. These lower layers can be seen at the neck and the ends of the sleeves. The ho, the main garment and most visible part of the dress, is green brocade with a pattern of wisteria vines. The hirao-no-tare, the hanging banner from the belt in front, is white and purple with green, white, and orange embroidery. He wears a kanmuri hat, the formal court hat from the Heian period until today, which usually has a hanging ei banner, but this hat has no ei. His ornamental sword, kazatachi, is of lacquered paper, and he also holds his wooden shaku baton.

This me-bina doll, or Imperial lady doll, is dressed in the junihitoe dress, a formal court lady costume originating in the Heian period, literally meaning twelve layers (of hitoe, an underlayer of kimono). The style of junihitoe worn by this doll is the style of the Edo period (1603-1868), most easily recognized by the existence of the kake-obi, or piece of over-dress vaguely resembling an apron. The color scheme includes predominantly orange, orange and green being popular dye colors of the Edo period. She wears red hakama pants and seven uchigi, or middle layers of kimono. The first one of plain white silk is called simply the hitoe. The next five layers are called uchigi, in white, red, orange, green, and orange silks. Finally, the uchiginu underlayer, in a stiff white silk brocade, is worn. These can be seen layered at the neckline, and a few of the layers can be seen at the ends of the sleeves as well. The uwagi, or topmost layer of kimono, is worn above the uchiginu and is orange brocade. The sleeves of the uwagi are richly embroidered. Finally, she wears the karaginu over-garment, in orange brocade, and the mo, the white apron which lies over the layers of uchigi in the back. The mo is painted with white, pink, and yellow flowers and green leaves. Five layers of uchigi under kimono in the back are padded, as are the sleeves. She wears the hair style of osuberakashi, the formal hair style of the Imperial Court in the late Edo period, which hangs down, but has a white bow in the back. The doll also wears a large metal crown, as is typical of me-bina dolls. These crowns, in a Chinese style, were never worn in the time period of the junihitoe, but have been a standard me-bina accessory throughout the history of suwaribina, the sitting hina dolls.


(Commentary by Helena Stenberg)

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