Boy's Day Doll
Twentieth Century
15.3 cm high x 14.5 cm wide
Cat. 266849
The Mr. and Mrs. Ernest F. Schmidt and Marjorie Schmidt Wood Collection
© The Field Museum

The story of Momotaro is a popular folk tale of Japan. There was an elderly couple who wished for nothing more than a child. One day, the wife spotted a large peach floating down the river in which she was washing clothing. She pulled it from the water and brought it home for her husband's dinner. However, when she went to cut it open, instead of a pit inside, there was a baby boy, whom they named Momotaro, or Peach Boy. He was a strong and dutiful boy, and was all his parents had hoped for. At the age of fifteen, he heard about terrible oni demons who had been attacking people on the mainland from a neighboring island, Onigashima. He resolved to fight them, and seeing his determination, his parents supported him. He went off on his journey with some kobidango, or millet dumplings, his mother gave him. On the way he met a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, all of whom agreed to go with him in exchange for some kogidango dumplings. When he arrived at Onigashima, he and his companions defeated the oni demons, who surrendered and promised never to attack the people again, and also gave Momotaro treasure. Momotaro and the others returned to Japan with the now free captive women they had rescued, and he returned to his home village to take care of his parents, who were very wealthy for the rest of their lives due to the oni treasures.

This doll depicting Momotaro is in many ways typical of a Boy's Day doll. He is depicted in armor with a sword, dressed for his battle with the oni demons. Momotaro has many personality characteristics celebrated during Boy's Day: bravery, determination, strength, and a sense of duty. This depiction of Momotaro shows him with a very pink, round face, features remaining from his birth from the peach.


(Commentary by Helena Stenberg)

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