Court Ladies Making Dolls
attributed to Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757–1820)
1790s
- Medium
- color woodblock print
- Classification
- Culture
- Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Japanese Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Myrta Leonora Jones
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Since ancient times dolls were used in Japan for religious purposes, especially for the healing of impurities or illness. Mothers often presented dolls to shrines to secure the protection of kami (spirits) for their children. Each year there is a doll festival (Hina Matsuri) or Girl's Festival on March 3rd at which families display heirloom sets of dolls dressed in costumes of the ancient imperial court. This is a section of a surimono (a print in which an image is combined with poetry to celebrate a special event) or an album page.
