A hōko ( 這子, lit. "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] and stuffed with cotton. [3] The dolls could be made for both boys and girls. Boys' dolls would be given up and "consecrated" at a shrine when boys came of age at 15 years old, [4] while 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] Pregnant woman would be given new ones, so as to protect her and her unborn child together, for the duration of the pregnancy.
Hōko can be traced back to " talismanic figures" from early Japanese history, [1] and are likely related to the concept of using paper dolls ( hina), as "stand-ins for people." [4] The use of Katashiro ( 形代, lit. "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 [5] as well as for absentee family members (i.e. mother dolls for orphaned children).
Amagatsu ( 天児; derivation unclear), also known-as "guardian dolls" or "hoko-hina" ("lowly child dolls"), are another type of doll similar in function as an amulet or talisman to the hōko doll, documented back to at least the 11th century with a mention in The Tale of Genji. [6] Amagatsu were of simple construction: pairs of sticks (wood or bamboo) were strapped together--with the body and arms traditionally forming a "T" shape--a stuffed silk cloth head was attached-on-top and clothing draped on it. Sources mentioning the specific term hōko start appearing in the Heian period, but are more apparent in the Muromachi period of Japan's history; [6] in the Muromachi era (1333-1568), these figures were kept by a child's bedside to ward off evil. It is also thought that a child's clothes should be hung on the T-form of the amagatsu, like a kimono stand, to take any evil elements away from the clothes. The hoko consisted of white silk stuffed with cotton and was presented to a child on his/her birth, often as an ubuyashinai (gift to a baby on the 3rd, 5th, and 9th nights). Used for both boys and girls, these dolls were a constant in their early life. Boys would keep them until the age of 15, when their "guardians" would be consecrated at a nearby shrine. In later years, the amagatsu and hōko dolls became essentially the same thing, with the dolls more commonly made out of cloth and other soft materials. [7]
A hōko ( 這子, lit. "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] and stuffed with cotton. [3] The dolls could be made for both boys and girls. Boys' dolls would be given up and "consecrated" at a shrine when boys came of age at 15 years old, [4] while 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] Pregnant woman would be given new ones, so as to protect her and her unborn child together, for the duration of the pregnancy.
Hōko can be traced back to " talismanic figures" from early Japanese history, [1] and are likely related to the concept of using paper dolls ( hina), as "stand-ins for people." [4] The use of Katashiro ( 形代, lit. "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 [5] as well as for absentee family members (i.e. mother dolls for orphaned children).
Amagatsu ( 天児; derivation unclear), also known-as "guardian dolls" or "hoko-hina" ("lowly child dolls"), are another type of doll similar in function as an amulet or talisman to the hōko doll, documented back to at least the 11th century with a mention in The Tale of Genji. [6] Amagatsu were of simple construction: pairs of sticks (wood or bamboo) were strapped together--with the body and arms traditionally forming a "T" shape--a stuffed silk cloth head was attached-on-top and clothing draped on it. Sources mentioning the specific term hōko start appearing in the Heian period, but are more apparent in the Muromachi period of Japan's history; [6] in the Muromachi era (1333-1568), these figures were kept by a child's bedside to ward off evil. It is also thought that a child's clothes should be hung on the T-form of the amagatsu, like a kimono stand, to take any evil elements away from the clothes. The hoko consisted of white silk stuffed with cotton and was presented to a child on his/her birth, often as an ubuyashinai (gift to a baby on the 3rd, 5th, and 9th nights). Used for both boys and girls, these dolls were a constant in their early life. Boys would keep them until the age of 15, when their "guardians" would be consecrated at a nearby shrine. In later years, the amagatsu and hōko dolls became essentially the same thing, with the dolls more commonly made out of cloth and other soft materials. [7]