Hoko (doll)

A Hoko (這子 hōko, literally "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] They would be stuffed with cotton.[3] The dolls could be made for both boys and girls, however boys' dolls would be given up and "consecrated" at a shrine when boys turned fifteen.[4] 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]

Modern day hōko dolls have been created with technology to monitor babies.[5]

History

Hōko can be traced back to early "talismanic figures" from early Japanese history.[1] The hōko can be traced back to the concept of using paper dolls, or hina, as "stand-ins for people."[4] The use of katashiro (“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.[6]

Dolls resembling the talismanic function of the hōko was mentioned in The Tale of Genji.[7] Sources mentioning the hōko by name start appearing in the Heian period, but are more apparent in the Muromachi period of Japan's history.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Pate, Alan S. (2005). Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462907205.
  2. ↑ Seton, Alistair (2012). Collecting Japanese Antiques. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905881.
  3. ↑ "Glossary". Netsuke and Japanese Art Online Research Center. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Pate, Alan. "The Hina Matsuri - A Living Tradition". Antique Japanese Dolls. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Discover Hoko". Hoko. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Momo, Miyazaki (2014). Images of Familial Intimacy in Eastern and Western Art. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. pp. 224–225. ISBN 9789004261945.
  7. 1 2 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.
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