The Museum of Fragrance, Iwata (1) - Hina Dolls and Fragrance of Spring

On March 3, we have Hinamatsuri or Doll’s Festival in Japan. As I had no longer my dolls, I didn’t do anything special on that day. But many sightseeing spots still have an exhibition of Doll’s Festival even after March 3. Last Sunday, I felt like seeing such an exhibition, so I went to the Museum of Fragrance, Iwata, which was the nearest spot from Hamamatsu. Iwata is a city located east of Hamamatsu, beyond the Tenryu River. The museum is only 5-minute walk from Toyoda-cho, which is the second station from JR Hamamatsu Station. It takes just 8 minutes to get there by local train.

The title of the exhibition was “Hina Dolls and Fragrance of Spring.” I entered the museum a little over 9:30. There weren’t many people, so I could see the exhibition at leisure. This set of dolls is a typical type, representing the imperial palace. It consists of the imperial pair, three court ladies, five musicians, two guardians, three servants, furniture, etc. When the first daughter is born in a family, this set of dolls is often given to her by her grandparents. Doll’s Festival is intended to pray for healthy growth of girls.

On both sides of the set of dolls, there were tsurushibina or hanging dolls or lucky motifs that had been originally made at home in some regions in Japan. In Shizuoka Prefecture, Inatori in Izu Peninsula is famous for their tsurushibina. Though we didn’t have such a tradition in Hamamatsu, it has been winning popularity. In fact, tsurushibina were cuter than the dolls between them and seemed to be soft and suitable for little girls. They were made of kimono scraps. As an example of such a handicraft, there were also animals of the Chinese zodiac. They were made of silk crepe.

The exhibition had many things to see. There were two more sets of dolls and a variety of tsurushibina. In the next room, I saw a beautiful pair with a delicate expression.

Apart from the imperial palace, there were other kinds of dolls and introduction of sweets eaten in the festival. These are hina-arare (rice crackers), kusamochi (rice-flour dumpling mixed with mugwort), and hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes). Hina-arare have four colors that represent four seasons. Mugwort in kusamochi is said to drive away evil spirits. And the three colors of hishimochi, pink, white, and green, represent a peach blossom, remaining snow, and earth respectively. Like the dolls, all these sweets are intended for healthy growth of girls (Boys have their festival in May).

The exhibition had a corner to introduce fragrance of spring flowers as well. I took off the lids of bottles one by one to enjoy the scents of plum blossom, cherry blossom, peach blossom, canola flower, narcissus, and so on. Though these flowers are familiar to Japanese people, I hadn’t been conscious of their scents before. So, it was very interesting.