In Japan, figures in human form, like haniwa and dogu, have existed since ancient times, but the term "doll" emerged in the ninth century. However, early on they were mainly associated with religious belief; dolls as playthings were simple objects made only out of paper. Dolls with artistic and manufactured elements began to be made in the eighteenth century, after the emergence of ballad using puppets. Later, puppets that carried tea emerged, with complex mechanical construction using springs, and, when the Doll's Festival became widespread, colorful dolls for the Doll's Festival appeared. Today, dolls rich in local color are made as specialities of certain famous regions in Japan.
Kokeshi are wooden folk dolls representing little girls. Their main characteristic is a cylindrically-shaped body with a round head, generally without hands and feet. They are products indigenous to the Tohoku region, and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries they were used as souvenirs for visitors to the hot springs. Even now, with the deeply-rooted popularity of this charming, simple shape, there are a lot of collectors, and the dolls are made and sold beyond the Tohoku region as tourist souvenirs. Wood from dogwood and cherry trees is used as pulp for kokeshi. The pulp is put into a lathe and whittled down while spinning. After the shape is completed, the hair, eyes and nose are painted on the head and kimono on the body. This technique is worth being called a craftsman art and is passed down from master to apprentice.
Until the Edo Period(1603-1867), the Japanese only wore Japanese-style garments, which they invariably tied with a sash. From the sash, men generally would attach and hang by string, a tobacco container, a medicine or seal case and a purse. The small carvings attached to the end of the string are called netsuke. They were delicately carved humans and animals, using coral, agate, ivory and so on, and today they bring high value as art objects.
Incense, along with Buddhism, was introduced into Japan from China. At first, it was used in front of Buddhist statues, but it gradually came to be enjoyed independently. In the middle of the Muromachi Period (1392-1573), it developed in association with the tea ceremony, and the style of using incense as an independent art was developed. With Kodo, there are several approaches. One can burn aromatic wood and appreciate the fragrance, play a game by judging the relative quality of two kinds of incense, or express a theme common to the fragrances of several kinds of burning incense.
Shippo indicates the seven treasures in Buddhism, including gold, silver and coral, but Shippo-yaki means beautiful ceramic ware as if it's inlaid with these seven treasures. A glass-like glaze is baked onto metals like silver and copper and onto the ceramic foundation, with designs of things such as flowers and birds. After the objects are heated to a high temperature, the glaze changes in a few minutes to a glass-like state and they are completed by polishing. They are often used as accessories or plates. Shippo-yaki came to Japan in the eighth century from regions in Persia and Europe by way of China, and for a time it died out. Later, the manufacturing process was brought in a second time, in the seventeenth century from Korea, and has continued to the present time. It is popular as a handicraft that is easy to make.
Byobu are household items used in rooms to ward off breezes or as partitions or decoration. They consist of from two to six connected panels that have a standard height of about one and a half meters and width of about 66 centimeters; the panels are set up in half folds so that the screen will not fall over. The sides are covered with paper, while one side has classical Japanese paintings with gold and silver leaf. They were first recorded to have been sent from Korea, and in the Heian Period(794-1185) they were used by court nobles. Subsequently, they also came to be used in temples, and in the Azuchi-Momoyama Period(1573-1603) they spread to the warrior class and to the common people. At present, beyond ceremonies such as weddings, they are not really used in daily life.
Juni-hitoe is a ceremonial robe that was the proper attire for court ladies and daughters of the warrior-class families in the Heian Period(794-1185) and after. It was a modification of the clothing worn by court ladies in the Nara Period(710-784) and even now juni-hitoe is worn on the occasion of weddings of the members of the Imperial Family. Recently, in the wedding in 1993 of the Crown Prince, Princess Masako wore it and the news was broadcast by television throughout the world. It is different from the kimonos worn by ordinary people, usually having brightly-colored kimonos worn on top of each other in twelve-layers over undergarments. The skirt has an extended train that trails behind when walking. In addition, when wearing the juni-hitoe, the hairstyle is gathered at the neck to hang down the back(suberakashi) and a fan made of Japanese cypress is held in the hands.
Nihonto are swords tempered with a peculiarly Japanese method, and early on they became known overseas for their superior sharpness and beauty. Their main feature is that it is single-edged and slightly curved. At the bass of the hilt, there is a metal piece called a sword guard which serves to ward off an opponent's katana and to protect the hands gripping the hilt. The katana, said to be the soul of the samurai, was regarded in the Edo Period(1603-1867) as a symbol of feudal society. In the Meiji Period(1868-1912), samurai were forced to give up their position, and katana were also prohibited. Subsequently, military officers wore them as symbols of rank. After the war, it was forbidden to possess them, except to appreciate them as art objects for their limpid purity and beauty .
Kumade are implements for raking up grains and fallen leaves and are usually made of bamboo. They are called Kumade which means bear claws for their prongs extending like the claws of a bear, and they are still commonly used. Kumade used to be sold within shrine compounds on festival days. Because kumade sold especially well at shrines housing gods for business prosperity, the saying started that "you can make money with kumade." This developed further as "Kumade rake in the money," and they came to be decorated in a variety of ways and sold as good luck charms. Even now, at the festival of the rooster that occur at shrines every year in November, they are popular as good luck charms.
Nihon-teien, compared to Western gardens that are laid out geometrically, are laid out placing importance on the natural view. They mainly imitate of the natural world, with heaped-up earth likened to mountains, ponds to oceans, and with rivers made by drawing water; some also incorporate a tea garden with arranged stepping stones and stools. In addition, there is the dry Japanese garden as one of representative styles of nihon-teien. This is a type of gardens that do not use water and express landscapes only with rocks and the sand. Hills and waterfalls are expressed by rock constructions, and rivers are expressed by making marks on spread white sand with bamboo brooms to depict water flowing. In the Muromachi Period(1392-1573), it was influenced by landscape painting imported from China, and many were designed as entry-way gardens for Zen temples.