Kyushu Hina Special

If you're traveling for girls
To Kyushu, the land of chicks

Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) is a colorful spring festival in Kyushu. Hina Matsuri events handed down from generation to generation in various regions begin with the arrival of spring. Both vintage and modern Hina dolls are displayed along with colorful Hina decorations, adding to the charm of the historic townscape. There are also many fun things to do, such as limited-time-only Hina dishes. Girls like handsome hina dolls after all!

Yanagawa City, Fukuoka
The representative of Kyushu's Hina events!
Yanagawa Hina Festival Sagemon Meguri 2024

Colorful ornaments are hung from the ceiling around a magnificent stand of hina dolls. The "Sagemon" decoration, an essential part of the Hina Festival in Yanagawa, is made to pray for the healthy growth and happiness of girls on their first Doll's Festival. 7 strings of threads are each attached with 7 lucky clothwork accessories such as cranes, rabbits, chicks, crawling dolls and "Yanagawa Mari". 7 times 7 makes 49. Two "Yanagawa mari" are added to the top of them to make 51. In the past, when life was said to last 50 years, the wish was that a baby girl would live as long as possible. The "Yanagawa Mari," rolled up with bright threads, was started by the koshimoto, or servants, of the Tachibana family, the former feudal lord of the domain.

In the past, people from the neighborhood came to celebrate a girl's first Doll's Festival and enjoyed the gorgeous Sagemon decorations. The "Sagemon Meguri" is a festival that brings this custom to the present. During the event, hina doll stands and Sagemon decorations are displayed at tourist facilities and in the eaves of stores. At "Yanagawa Gohana," the villa of the feudal lord, visitors can see Sagemon and "Yanagawa Mari," centering on the gorgeous and gorgeous Hina-dan in the main building's Goyakukan. Various events will also be held, and on the first day, February 11, the "Ohinasama Hajimatsuri Festival and Procession" will be held. There will also be "Yanagawa Kimono Days" (March 2 and 3), where you can enjoy special offers if you wear kimono, and the cute "Ohinasama Water Parade" (March 17), where local kindergarten children dress up as Uchiuri-hina and Kanjo (courtesans). The "Hina Meguri Boat" will be in operation on March 2, 3, 9, and 10.

Period: Sunday, February 11, 2024 - Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Inquiries: Yanagawa Hina Festival Executive Committee
☎ 0944-73-2145 (Yanagawa City Tourist Association)
Yanagawa City Tourism Association official website

Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Hina Tour in the Land of Tea and the Land of Dolls
Hina no Sato Yame Bonbori Festival

Yame City is a tea town known for its Yame tea, and a craft town where numerous traditional crafts are made. Yame dolls" are particularly famous, and Yame hina dolls and May dolls are sold throughout the country. Yame Fukushima District, the central town of Yame City, has a history of more than 400 years, and about 150 merchant houses with white walls and storehouses from the Edo period to the early Showa period still remain. The area has been designated as a "National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. During the Hina Matsuri (Girls' Festival), dolls are displayed at about 100 locations in the area, including town houses, private homes, and stores. One of the rarest items on display is a boxed doll called "Hako Hina," which is unique to the Yame region and was once used as a decoration for the Hina Festival. They are unique to the Yame region and were once made by craftsmen of Buddhist altars. It is interesting to note that the facial features of the hina dolls differ depending on the period.

The most worth seeing is the Yame Ningyo Kaikan. The most spectacular exhibits include hina dolls and hina utensils brought by princesses of the Tokugawa Shoguns to carry their daughters into their homes. In addition, about 1,600 highly valuable dolls made mainly in the Edo period will be on display. During the festival, "Ohinasama Parade," "Wedding Ceremony at Fukushima Hachimangu Shrine," "Ohinasama Memorial Service," and Yame's sake brewery will be open to the public. In addition, a restaurant in a renovated machiya (traditional townhouse) in the white-walled townscape is recommended as a place to take a break for a meal.

Period: February 11 (Sun.) - March 10 (Sun.)
Inquiries: Yame City Chanokuni Tourist Information Center
☎ 0943-22-6644
Yame City Chanokuni Tourist Information Center official website

Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Heartwarming Hina Dolls of the Common People
Chikugo Yoshii Ohinasama Tour

Like Fukushima in Yame City, the cluster of merchant houses in Yoshii-cho, Ukiha City, is also a "National Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings". In fact, this is the first such designation in Fukuoka Prefecture. Along National Route 210, there are rows of merchant houses with white walls and storehouses built between the end of the Edo period and the Meiji period. During the Edo period, the area flourished as an inn town on the Bungo Kaido Road connecting the Kurume-Arima Domain with the imperial domain of Hita. During the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival), hina dolls are displayed at 14 stores and other locations. Like Yame City, Yoshii Town features "Hakohina" and "Okiage" hina dolls.

Okiage" is made by drawing a rough sketch on a piece of cardboard, cutting it out, placing cotton on top, wrapping it with scraps of cloth such as kimono, etc., and pasting them together. A thin bamboo skewer is threaded through it, and it is displayed on the edge of a tatami mat. The dolls are flat like Hagoita dolls, and their subjects are more often Kabuki or Ukiyoe than Hina dolls. According to one theory, common people who could not afford luxurious dolls celebrated the Dolls' Festival by making them by hand. Why don't you take a walk while looking at such unpretentious okiage dolls?

Period: Sunday, February 11, 2024 - Sunday, March 20, 2024 (national holiday)
Inquiries: Chikugo Yoshii Ohinasama Meguri Executive Committee
☎ 0943-76-3980 (Kanko Kaikan Dozo (kura))
Chikugo Yoshii Ohinasama Tour

Hita City, Oita Prefecture
Hina dolls of wealthy merchants and dolls of common people!
Tenryo Hita Ohina Festival

Hita City in Oita Prefecture boasted the greatest prosperity in Kyushu during the Edo period as a castle town "Tenryo" under the direct control of the shogunate. The town of Mameda, which was the center of the city, was lined with wealthy merchants who lived in affluence. There are many old merchant houses with white walls and storehouses built from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji and Taisho periods, which have been designated as a "National Important Preservation District for Traditional Buildings". During the festival period, dolls from the past and present are displayed at more than 10 locations, including the Tenryo Hita Museum and the Kuma district of the Ryokan (traditional inn) district. The Kusano Honke, an old house, displays many dolls from the Edo period to the early Meiji period, and the Hina Goten at Hita Soy Sauce features a lineup of about 4,000 dolls. It is truly a breathtaking display of hina ornaments! The array of hina utensils is also a sight to behold. In fact, hina-gutsu (hina dolls) were also used as a bride's gift for girls in those days.

On the other hand, there are still many "okiage" here as well. It is generally believed that okiage was brought to Hita from Chikugo Yoshii by the Lords of the Kurume-Arima Clan during their visit to Hita. And Hita is not all wealthy merchants. Poor families who could not afford to buy luxurious dolls probably made substitute dolls to pray for their daughters' growth. The annual Nagashi Hina Doll Festival will be held on Sunday, March 3.

Period: February 15 (Thursday) to March 31 (Sunday), 2024
Inquiries: Hita City Tourist Association
☎ 0973-22-2036
Hita City Tourism Association Official Website

Oita prefecture (Kyushu)
A taste of the castle town of Takeda City
Oka-han Castle Town Hina Festival

Takeda, the castle town of the 70,000-koku Oka clan, is a quiet town surrounded by mountains on all sides. Oka Castle, an impregnable castle, is also known for the famous song "Tsuki of the Deserted Castle" by Taki Rentaro. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the Oka clan sent dolls made of bamboo and paper to celebrate the seasonal festivals, and this is why "Takehina" dolls arranged in modern style and handmade creative dolls are exhibited along with old dolls. About 40 stores and galleries will display hina dolls and hina ornaments from different periods, making passersby stop in their tracks.

It is also interesting to compare the differences between the dolls of different periods. The Uchiuri-hina of the Edo and Meiji periods have long, elegant faces. The Taisho Hina are egg-shaped, while the Showa Hina are slightly fuller and have more prominent eyes. In fact, there are few dolls from the Edo period in Takeda because the city was a fierce battleground during the "Battle of the Southwest". This is also the reason why there are many hina dolls from the Meiji period and after. Another of Takeda's Uchiuri-hina dolls is the "Chikuden Tamago Ningyo (egg doll). In the days when eggs were a precious commodity, the wives of wealthy innkeepers and merchants made these dolls from eggshells. They have become a local folk art of Taketa. The subject matter is not limited to hina dolls, but the dolls with eyes and noses painted with a brush are a little stocky. They are a little stocky, but somehow heartwarming and warming. During the festival, some inns and restaurants serve dishes related to the hina dolls (the photo is an image). We hope you will try them.

Period: Friday, February 9, 2024 - Sunday, March 10, 2024
Inquiries: Takeda City Tourism Association
☎ 0974-63-0585
Takeda City Tourism Association official website