The above photo was taken last week at the Ningyou Kuyou (mass for dead dolls) festival at the Kiyomizu Kannon Temple in Tokyo’s Ueno Park. And although I had planned in advance to take in this small modest festival, doing so the day after getting confirmation that Naoko is pregnant was significant I think. You see, this temple, which is modeled after Kyoto’s famous Kiyomizu Temple, has traditionally been a place where couples who want to have children come to pray for that result.
As best as I can tell (I admit this explanation is cobbled together from various Japanese-only sites, as there is scant info in English about this rite), those couples whose prayers for a child have been answered bring a “substitute” doll to show gratitude and to pray for the safety of their newborn child. The festival entails a small religious ceremony in which the souls of these old dolls are comforted, after which they are brought over to the furnace-cum-pyre pictured above, and set ablaze.
There appears to be quite a few of these Ningyou Kuyou festivals throughout Japan, as well as various kuyou festivals commemorating other aspects of traditional Japanese culture, including kuyou for used fude (Japanese calligraphy brushes and pens), donabe (earthenware clay pots), nurigushi (lacquered combs), and sewing needles. Most are held in various temples, but occassionally these funeral rites are performed in craft shops and guilds as well. The main thrust of these festivals seems to be that after years of care and being looked after, owners can’t bear to just unceremoniously dump these collected treasures in the trash when they begin to wear down or fall apart. From an article published in an August 1995 issue of The Sapporo Journal:
“People don’t like to get rid of these items, because they’re beautiful and have positive associations,” [Mariya Handicrafts proprietor Koichi Matsumura] explains.[…] “Kuyoh ceremonies have important practical implications,” says the jolly [Buddhist monk Kaien] Ichiki. “From a material aspect, they teach the avoidance of wastefulness, as well as care and respect for things. Emotionally, they bring peace by releasing pent-up feelings and enabling a sense of completion. Finally, the religious implications are the recognition that people, even things, are part of a cosmic oneness whose energy fills everything.”
In looking at photos from different doll-burning festivals online, it appears that for some, all manner of dolls and stuffed animals are included beyond the traditional Japanese doll. I have to admit that the idea of dolls procured at Disneyland or Hello Kitty shops going up in flames appeals to my ironic sensibilities, and is a sight I would love to one day see.
I’m so glad that you wrote about this festival. Ever since last fall when I read about it in the Japan Time’s festival calendar, I have wanted to learn more. I thought it was very touching to ceremoniously dispose of the dolls rather than trash them or forget them (so that the are relegated to the Land of Unwanted Toys). But when I saw your photograph, I wanted to yell, “Stop, stop! I’ll take them.”
I hadn’t heard before about the dolls being an offering of thanksgiving for pregnancy. That adds another dimension to the proceedings.