Hōko (doll)
A hōko (這子, lit. "crawling child") is a kind of soft-bodied doll given to young women of age and especially to pregnant women in Japan to protect both mother and unborn child.[1] Traditionally, hōko dolls were made of silk and human hair,[2] and stuffed with cotton.[3] The dolls could be made for both boys and girls. Boys' dolls would be given up and "consecrated" at a shrine when boys came of age at 15 years old,[4] while girls would give up their dolls at marriage.[4] The dolls were given to children either at birth, or on special days shortly after birth.[4] Pregnant woman would be given new ones, so as to protect her and her unborn child together, for the duration of the pregnancy.
History[edit]
Hōko can be traced back to "talismanic figures" from early Japanese history,[1] and are likely related to the concept of using paper dolls (hina), as "stand-ins for people."[4] The use of Katashiro (形代, lit. "substitutes") in spiritual practice as stand-ins to take on the brunt of a person's sins or misfortune also played a role in the creation of hōko dolls[5] as well as for absentee family members (i.e. mother dolls for orphaned children).
Amagatsu[edit]
Amagatsu (天児; derivation unclear), also known-as "guardian dolls" or "hoko-hina" ("lowly child dolls"), are another type of doll similar in function as an amulet or talisman to the hōko doll, documented back to at least the 11th century with a mention in The Tale of Genji.[6] Amagatsu were of simple construction: pairs of sticks (wood or bamboo) were strapped together--with the body and arms traditionally forming a "T" shape--a stuffed silk cloth head was attached-on-top and clothing draped on it. Sources mentioning the specific term hōko start appearing in the Heian period, but are more apparent in the Muromachi period of Japan's history;[6] in the Muromachi era (1333-1568), these figures were kept by a child's bedside to ward off evil. It is also thought that a child's clothes should be hung on the T-form of the amagatsu, like a kimono stand, to take any evil elements away from the clothes. The hoko consisted of white silk stuffed with cotton and was presented to a child on his/her birth, often as an ubuyashinai (gift to a baby on the 3rd, 5th, and 9th nights). Used for both boys and girls, these dolls were a constant in their early life. Boys would keep them until the age of 15, when their "guardians" would be consecrated at a nearby shrine. In later years, the amagatsu and hōko dolls became essentially the same thing, with the dolls more commonly made out of cloth and other soft materials.[7]
See also[edit]
- Apotropaic magic
- Concealed shoes
- Hama Yumi
- Hinamatsuri
- Japanese traditional dolls
- Katashiro
- Teru teru bōzu
- Kokeshi dolls
- Ofuda
- Poppet doll
- Motanka doll
- Voodoo doll
- Shikigami
- Ushabti
- Witch bottle
References[edit]
- ^ a b Pate, Alan S. (2005). Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462907205.
- ^ Seton, Alistair (2012). Collecting Japanese Antiques. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905881.
- ^ "Glossary". Netsuke and Japanese Art Online Research Center. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d Pate, Alan. "The Hina Matsuri - A Living Tradition". Antique Japanese Dolls. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ Momo, Miyazaki (2014). Images of Familial Intimacy in Eastern and Western Art. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. pp. 224–225. ISBN 9789004261945.
- ^ a b Law, Jane Marie (1997). Puppets of Nostalgia: The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Japanese "Awaji Ningy?" Tradition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780691604718.
- ^ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan