Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
(87)Battledores fortheNewYearFestival.Theseexamplesdatefromtheseventeenth cen-
tury. Later they became more elaborate. There is a theory that striking shuttlecocks was
symbolic of swatting mosquitoes, as a charm against their bites.
If there was a girl in the house, the doll festival was celebrated on the third day of the
thirdmonth.ThisspreaddowntothetownsfolkduringtheTokugawaperiod,andconsisted
of setting out in the
toko-no-ma
a set of dolls representing the Emperor and the Empress,
with numerous retinue and equipment. The display could be very elaborate, with a model
palace to house the dolls; or it might consist of a few paper dolls. Plum-blossom was used
to decorate the room, and on the day of the festival, female relatives and friends would
meet forconversation and a little sweet
sake.
Aflourishing trade was done in these dolls in
the spring, and by encouraging periodical changes in design, the traders concerned sought
to increase the demand for them.
Boys had their festival on the fifth of the fifth month. This day retained great signific-
ance in warrior households, where presents were given, and officials wore special clothing
with long
haka. Daimyō
residences had halberds, helmets, and other military equipment
on display before their entrances, together with banners and a guard of
yoriki
and
dōshin.
Stimulatedbymanufacturersandshopkeeperssellingmodelmilitaryequipment,thefestiv-
al spread tothe homes oftownsfolk, where the custom arose ofsetting outadisplay ofhel-
met, armor, and weapons on a small scale. At houses where there was a son under eight, a
bannerwaserected,ratherlikeawind-sockatanairfield,intheshapeofacarp,afishcred-
