Japanese Dolls: Types and What They Are Called

Who's Who Among Japanese Dolls

What Japanese Dolls Are Called — the General Word and the Specific Ones

人形 (ningyō) is the general word for any doll, from a clay figurine to a nearly life-sized bunraku theater actor. Each type in the table above is a specific case of this general word, with its own name, material, and occasion for coming into being.

Hina-ningyō — Who Is the Emperor and Who Is the Empress

A full set of hina-ningyō is arranged in tiers: at the top, a pair of dolls in the guise of an emperor and empress in court attire; below them, court ladies, musicians, guards, and servants. The empress in such a set holds a folded hiōgi fan — part of the formal costume of a noblewoman of the Heian period.

"Odairi-sama" and "Ohina-sama" — a Name from a Song, Not from Tradition

The children's song "Ureshii Hinamatsuri" calls the male doll "o-dairi-sama" and the female doll "o-hina-sama," and it is from this song that the division spread across the country. Specialists in Japanese doll culture consider this usage inaccurate: the correct name for the pair as a whole is 内裏雛 (dairi-bina), "the couple within the palace," not two separate addresses to a groom and bride.

After the festival, the dolls should not linger in view — there is a superstition that delaying putting them away will postpone a daughter's marriage. This is more a folk argument for tidiness than a literal prediction: hina-ningyō should be put away quickly, but always in dry weather, to protect them from mold.

The festival has an older ancestor — hina-nagashi, floating dolls down a river as a way to wash away impurity; the custom goes back to purification rituals described as early as The Tale of Genji. Today this rite with doll figures in little boats is performed live in only a few places in the country, the most famous being the town of Mochigase in Tottori Prefecture.

Dolls for Boys: Armor and Kintaro

On Children's Day, May 5, gogatsu-ningyō are displayed for boys — miniature armor and a helmet, and often alongside them a figure of the legendary strongman Kintaro with an axe, the hero of a separate Japanese legend about a boy who wrestled bears.

人形 — "Human Form" in Writing

形 — значение: form, shape — онъёми: ケイ、ギョウ — кунъёми: かた、かたち、なり — 7 штрих(ов). 形 — "form, shape": the second character in 人形 (ningyō). Here it is read ぎょう — not the most common reading of this kanji, but it is the one that became established in the word for "doll."

人形 is made up of 人 "person" and 形 "form" — literally "human form." This name suits a faceless clay figurine, a mechanical automaton, and a stately bunraku puppet alike: what unites them all is that they replicate the human form.

Ningyō-kuyō — How Dolls Are Seen Off at a Shrine

In Japan, a doll that has served its time is not thrown in the trash but brought to a Shinto shrine for the ningyō-kuyō (人形供養) rite — a grateful send-off. The most famous place for this is Awashima Shrine in Wakayama, where dolls are brought by the thousands from all over the country.

Write 形 along the guides — the character for "form" from the word 人形.

Not Just Kokeshi and Not Just Toys

Kokeshi Is Not the Only Japanese Doll

• "Japanese dolls are only kokeshi." In fact, kokeshi is just one type among many: there are separate festive, decorative, and theatrical dolls with their own names and purposes.
• "All Japanese dolls are toys for children." Hina-ningyō and gogatsu-ningyō are seasonal items for display, not for play, and ichimatsu-ningyō over the 20th century turned from a child's toy into a collector's item.
• "Japanese dolls are necessarily tied to scary stories." The image of the "cursed Japanese doll" is a horror-movie trope, not part of the tradition: in Japan itself, a doll that has served its time is, on the contrary, respectfully seen off at a shrine rather than feared.

FAQ

What are Japanese dolls called?

In Japanese, any doll can be called by one word — 人形 (ningyō). But in conversation, more specific names are heard more often: hina-ningyō for Hinamatsuri, gogatsu-ningyō for Children's Day, kokeshi for the turned wooden doll of Tohoku without arms or legs. Each type has its own occasion for coming into being.

What is hina-ningyō?

Festive dolls for Hinamatsuri on March 3: a set of figures of an emperor, empress, and courtiers arranged in tiers. They are displayed for a few weeks, and after the festival they are quickly put away until the next year.

How do kokeshi differ from other Japanese dolls?

Kokeshi is a turned wooden doll without arms or legs, originating from the hot springs of Tohoku, whereas hina-ningyō or ichimatsu-ningyō are figures in full attire, depicting people in a specific role. Kokeshi has neither a face with human features nor a costume — only painted decoration.

What is done with old dolls in Japan?

They are not thrown away but brought to a Shinto shrine for the ningyō-kuyō rite — a grateful send-off. The most famous place for this is Awashima Shrine in Wakayama, where they are brought from all over the country.

How do you say "doll" in Japanese?

人形, read にんぎょう (ningyō). Literally — 人 "person" plus 形 "form," "human form." This general word suits any doll, from a clay figurine to a nearly life-sized puppet-theater actor.

Sources

• Kotobank: 雛人形
• Kotobank: 人形
• Japanese Wikipedia: 雛祭り — composition and arrangement of hina-ningyō