Keshi Bina Dolls
Twentieth Century
7.6-11.5 cm high x 9.3-11 cm wide
Cat. 266850-266852, 266855-266867
The Mr. and Mrs. Ernest F. Schmidt and Marjorie Schmidt Wood Collection
© The Field Museum
This complete set of fifteen hina dolls is of a type called keshi bina, or miniature hina, because of their small size. Each measures approximately three inches high. The costumes are a bit simpler on some of the dolls, but the standards and styles of the hina dolls are maintained. The dolls wear court dress, with garments that, other than changes in style and accessory, have remained in use for formal ceremonies by the Imperial Court from the Heian period (794-1192) to today.
The prince wears a ho of gold-colored brocade, the coat and most visible part of the dress. Underneath the ho, the hitoe, layers of under-kimono, are worn, the first two of plain unpatterned white silk, followed by one red and another white. These can be seen at the neck and also at the ends of the sleeves. He wears white hakama pants underneath the ho as well. The hirao-no-tare, the hanging banner from the belt in front, has four layers of brown, purple, beige, and red brocade. The lady wears the junihitoe dress, a formal court lady costume originating in the Heian period, literally meaning twelve layers (of hitoe, an underlayer of kimono). She wears five layers of hitoe, two in white, one green, one red, and another white. These can be seen layered at the neckline. Over this is the uwagi, or topmost layer of kimono, in gold-colored brocade, matching the ho of the prince. Finally, she wears the karaginu over-garment in gold-colored brocade. She has a silver crown, which, although never worn as part of actual court dress, has been a part of me-bina, or Imperial lady doll, costume since the mid-Edo (1603-1868) period, with the Kyoho hina dolls. She holds a wooden fan with silk cord accents.
The three ladies in waiting wear matching white kimono and red hakama pants, the central one wearing a gold gilt uwagi top kimono as well. They hold a short handled sake rice wine pot, a ceremonial short table for the sake, and a long handled sake pot, from left to right. The five musicians wear matching hitatare garments of purple and gold gilt, the top half worn pulled down by three of the five, revealing the red and gold gilt layer underneath. Underneath they wear layers of white and aqua. They play the taiko 'fat' drum, tsuzumi hand drums, and fue flute (which is missing), the last musician being the chanter. On the fourth tier sit the two guards, wearing matching purple and gold gilt ho garments, white and red hakama pants, four layers of hitoe under-kimono, and hirao-no-tare belts in brown, purple, aqua, and red. They carry swords and bows and arrows. The three pages, who occupy the fifth and lowest tier, wear plain white ho garments, pulled down at the waist so that the sleeves hang down, showing the next layer of kimono underneath, in gold or red gilt brocade. They wear light blue short hakama pants underneath. They carry the prince's hat, shoes, and an umbrella.
These dolls are from about 1930. The heads are likely of the toso technique of paulownia sawdust molding, rather than having been carved of wood, which was rare after the early Meiji period (1868-1912). They were donated with the keshi dairi-bina pair found on the next page. Neither pair of dairi-bina (the Imperial couple pair) really seems to match the other thirteen dolls, which seem to be well-matched in every way. The pair shown here match well in size, but their costumes lack the gilt on most of the other thirteen. The other pair does have the gilt, but these dolls are approximately four inches high, an inch taller than the others. However, the design on the brocade of the prince shown here matches that on the third page doll except in gilt and color, so it seems likely that this was the original pair. It is possible, however, that the other pair truly belongs with the set instead, or even that the original pair was replaced with one of these.
(Commentary by Helena Stenberg)
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