Since the end of the Heian period, the Yamashina family has inherited the "Yamashina School of Emondo," a family profession in Kyoto that is responsible for the tailoring and wearing of court attire for the nobility. Tokichika Yamashina, the young head of the family, who is in his 30th generation since the founder, will unravel the occasional events that have taken place at the Imperial Court and in the society of the nobility, as well as the culture that has been handed down through the ages, along with costumes and ancient documents remaining in the Yamashina family.

Maruyama Park is where my mother's family home used to be. My ancestors also admired the weeping cherry blossoms.

When you think of a cherry tree that you have in your mind, where is it from? The cherry tree in Kyoto that I have a special attachment to is the Gion Weeping Cherry Tree in Maruyama Park in Gion. This tree was planted in 2, and after it died in 1727, the current tree is the second generation.

There is a history inscription placed by the city of Kyoto under the weeping cherry tree, which explains that it was originally located in the mansion of Hojuin, the executive (family in charge of the shrine affairs) of Gion Shrine (present-day Yasaka Shrine). My mother's side is of the Hojuin family lineage, and this is the place my ancestors used to look at every year until the mansion was turned into a park after Gion Shrine, which was a syncretic Shinto-Buddhist institution, was abolished and the temple was destroyed.

Recently, I was told that there is a cherry tree that was cut from Gion Shrine during the Edo period and is still standing today at Shuseibo in Mount Hiko in Fukuoka Prefecture. It is thought that it was probably brought back by a mountain ascetic who was passing through at the time. I would like to visit the site, relying on the mysterious connection that this historic cherry tree has made to me.

In Kyoto, many homes keep their Hina dolls on display until April (March in the lunar calendar).

Well, it is customary to display Hina dolls around the time of the Girls' Festival (Jōshi no Sekku), but in Kyoto, many places keep them up until April (March in the lunar calendar), when the peaches and cherry blossoms bloom, which is the season they are originally displayed. Recently, local governments and communities have been displaying Hina dolls, which seems to play a role in revitalizing towns. One reason for this is the increase in donations of dolls that are no longer displayed in homes due to changes in lifestyle, and while it is nice to be able to see so many historic dolls in various places, it also feels a little lonely.

In the past, when it was difficult to raise children, Hina dolls were not just beautiful decorations, but were imbued with heartfelt prayers to ward off evil spirits. To meet these wishes, the dolls are made with intricate techniques and division of labor, and are always spectacular.

In the mid-Edo period, lifelike dolls like themselves began to be popular among the nobles.

It may seem obvious, but Hina dolls are basically made in court attire. As the culture of Hina dolls as we know it today spread throughout the Edo period, the image and admiration for aristocratic culture was formed. For those who have been in the family business of dealing with costumes for generations, the image of Hina dolls wearing various costumes is an important historical material for learning about the awareness and customs of the aristocratic society of the time.

In particular, the type of dolls known as "Yusokubina" were prepared under the supervision of the Yamashina and Takakura families, whose family occupations were costumes, and the Takakura family has left documents such as measurements of the costumes for Hina dolls. The word "Yusoku" indicates that the dolls were well versed in the necessary knowledge of Imperial Court ceremonies, and Yusokubina dolls were made faithfully in accordance with the customs of actual court nobles' costumes, such as the colors, patterns, and makeup. In 8 (the 1758th year of the Horeki era) during the mid-Edo period, a nobleman who viewed the Hina dolls to be given by the Yamashina family to the Konoe family recorded that the costumes were indistinguishable from those worn by actual adults, indicating that around this time dolls that resembled themselves had begun to be popular among the noble community.

Excellent examples of Yusokubina dolls are kept in nunneries where the children of the imperial family and nobles have been priests for generations, and in museums related to feudal lords who married into the nobles. We recommend the doll exhibition at Hokyo-ji Temple and the regular exhibition at Kyoto National Museum, where you can compare them with other types of Hina dolls.

There are old photographs of nobles themselves wearing the costumes of life-sized Hina dolls that they made.

The imperial court's attention to detail with Hina dolls continued at the end of the Edo period. In the diary of the 24th head of the family, Gennari, it is written that when Emperor Ninko prepared a doll to be bestowed upon Princess Kazunomiya, he ordered that the doll's costume be dressed in front of the emperor. There was careful consideration given to how the dolls were dressed, and it is interesting to imagine how they were actually shown dressing the dolls.

According to the same "Genseikyo-ki," the next emperor, Emperor Komei, was particularly fond of dolls, and it is recorded that he made detailed requests regarding the specifications of the costumes for the Hina dolls that he would display as entertainment, even at the production stage. Even more surprisingly, there is an old photograph that still exists that is said to show the wife of Tamekata, the 22nd head of the Kamireizei family, wearing the costume of a life-size Hina doll made during the reign of Emperor Komei, which gives us an idea that the culture of dolls had developed greatly, beyond the realm of Hina dolls displayed during seasonal festivals.

The annual event held by the nobles in March was, of all things, a cockfight.

By the way, when looking at our ancestors' diaries and historical documents related to annual events at the Imperial Court, we are surprised to find that displaying Hina dolls is rarely mentioned openly, and it seems to have been recognized as a strictly private event. So, when we looked into what other annual events took place at this time of year, we found records showing that cockfights were taking place long before modern-day dolls appeared. Originating in ancient China, it has been held at the Imperial Court since the Nara period, and was one of the most popular events due to its entertainment value.

Also called Toriawase, it is a type of object-matching, like Hanaawase or Folding Fan Matching, in which people bring objects and evaluate them, but it is a culture with a strong competitive flavor, as seen in bullfighting. I have never actually seen it, but that is no surprise, as it is banned in many countries around the world, including Japan, from the standpoint of preventing gambling and protecting animals, while it is legal in parts of Southeast Asia and South America.

"What a pity, what a pity..." The ancestor of the Yamashina family was upset after losing a cockfight

The diary of my ancestor, "Gotokyo-ki," which I briefly introduced last time, also describes the cockfights that took place at the Imperial Court.

Article dated March 2, 1529

``This morning, I went to visit the Gotoko, Asaomi Sanyo, the person who attended, I (omitted), the 178th year of the chicken, Yotoya, the 178th year of the chicken, the 20th anniversary of the arrival of the chicken, and the fall of the chicken, I'm sorry.''

According to this, courtiers entered the palace in the morning, bringing with them about 17 or 18 chickens, which appear to have been prepared by me (Tokitsugu). As for where these chickens were sourced from, they arrived every year from Yamashina Nomurago, a manor of the Yamashina family, and we can see that the rural areas around Kyoto supported the annual event. It appears that Tokitsugu's own chicken lost in the cockfight, and he comments that it was a shame. This is a scene that gives us a sense of the atmosphere of court events at the time, where people enjoyed themselves while experiencing ups and downs.

It makes you think again about the fact that, even among events that represent the same season, some cultures are still practiced in our daily lives, while others have already disappeared. As I watched the cherry blossoms blooming in a cycle of time, I thought about the future of culture woven by humans as times and environments change.