A beautiful young woman who lives in the shadow of flowers cast by the full moon, a bearded old man dancing away in gay abandon, a woman who dresses in her lover’s hunting costume, longing for his return... Japanese dolls tell poignant stories.
Beneath the gorgeous façade of silk kimonos and startlingly human-like expressions, lies a centuries-old history. A visit to the exhibition ‘Dolls of Japan’ shows us how the handmade works of art are used to convey a people’s culture, lifestyle, and traditions. The show has been organised by the Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai, Lalit Kala Akademi, Regional Centre, Chennai, and ABK-AOTS DOSOKAI, Tamil Nadu Centre.
Dolls form an important part of Japanese culture. Doll-making is considered a nuanced art form that’s passed on from a teacher to his/her students. Important festivals are centred around dolls — the exhibition talks about a Girls’ Festival that’s celebrated on March 3, during which families display ‘Hina’ dolls, wishing for their daughters’ happiness; during the Boys’ Festival, celebrated on May 5, families with boys display dolls dressed as warriors, in prayer for their children’s health.
Tales of heroism and love, scenes from everyday life and vignettes from mythology are part of the exhibition. Dolls inspired from traditional art forms occupy pride of place — the Noh dolls, depicting the theatre form of the same name, Bunraku dolls that represent a form of puppet theatre, Kyoto dolls with their gorgeous embroidered kimonos... then, there are Hakata dolls made using clay, an Ichimatsu doll that’s a replica of the one that was given by Japan to the U.S. in 1927 as a sign of goodwill, the Imperial palace dolls with large heads and fair skin, and the Kabuki doll of a courtesan in an ornate kimono and hairdo.
The Kokeshi dolls have a certain charm that can be attributed to their simple nature. Made of wood and devoid of grand costumes, the dolls are shaped using Japanese wood turnery techniques. What makes these dolls appealing is their smooth, gleaming exterior, painted in bright colours. On display are Traditional as well as Creative Kokeshi dolls. The difference between the two varieties is that Creative Kokeshi dolls ‘display the free and unrestrained imagination of an individual artist’. Among the best is a work titled ‘A Fleeting moment’— it’s a woman in green with a tumble of long hair and an ecstatic expression on her face.
The exhibition is on till November 26 at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road.
