Photo/Illutration Many “hina” dolls are displayed on a multi-tiered stand before a screen showing the Amida Sanzon statues as part of the Big Hina Matsuri event at the municipal Kokokan history museum in Ono, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 22. (Naoki Okubo)

ONO, Hyogo Prefecture—The traditional Big Hina Matsuri event, featuring a vast collection of “hina” dolls and decorations from the Edo Period (1603-1867) on, is under way at the municipal Kokokan history museum here.

The event began in 2012 and has been held annually since. This year’s exhibition features a record 702 Girls’ Day festival dolls in 83 sets.

In the museum’s first-floor hall, a multi-tiered stand measuring 9 meters wide, 3.6 meters deep and 3 meters tall displays 508 dolls in 61 sets.

Images of the Amida Sanzon (triad of Buddha) statues, national treasures from the city’s Jodoji temple, appear on a screen behind the dolls.

“Goten-kazari” dolls and ornaments in a miniature building styled after the Imperial Palace are also on display in a training room and an exhibition room. These rare items have been passed down for generations by the town’s samurai and merchant families.

“We’d like visitors to take the time to relax and admire the hina dolls and wish for the healthy growth of their children,” said Shuichi Kasuya, deputy head of the museum.

The event runs until March 30. The museum is closed on Mondays except for national holidays, in which case it is closed on the following day.

Admission is 200 yen ($1.30) for high school students and adults and 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students.

Related News