Celebratory Display for Boys

Yusoku Gogatsu Ningyo Doll

Oyoroi

OyoroiThree-tiers
Size:
- Width137cm
- Depth160cm
- Height180cm

Prices shown here are those of our stores in Japan.
Please check our inventory before placing an order.

Tango-no-Sekku Festival and Gogatsu Ningyo Doll

In Japan, the traditional Tango-no-Sekku Festival is held on May 5th to wish for boys’ healthy growth. Families with boys celebrate this day by displaying the Gogatsu Ningyo (doll warrior) display consisting of armor, helmet, sword and bow/arrows reproduced as art objects, which were once worn by brave warriors. This tradition originated in a ritual using sweet calamus held at the Imperial Court during the Heian Period more than 1200 years ago to ward off evil spirits. The nobility of those days believed that the sweet calamus had such strong power because it was among the first to sprout in early spring. Later in the feudal era, this ritual evolved into a ceremony to pray for boys’ fortune and success in wars, and then gradually spread among the common people as a festival for children. The most representative Gogatsu Ningyo doll display today consists of three-tiers, in addition to various other styles.

What is Yusoku?

In the Imperial Court of the Heian Period, precise protocol was stipulated in minute detail regarding every event and ceremony concerning costume, furniture, utensils, drinking and dinning etc. As it was regarded as extremely embarrassing to fail to observe these rules, the nobility of those days documented them in every detail and handed them down from generation to generation. Such records became the source for the traditional culture of Kyoto, and are called ‘yusoku’, literally meaning ‘possessing knowledge’. Gogatsu Ningyo dolls ‘born’ in Kyoto have been crafted based on such knowledge and are therefore called Yusoku Gogatsu Ningyo dolls and have acquired an outstanding reputation.