Hina Matsuri in Miyagawacho Hanamachi(2015)

Hina-matsuri or Girl’s Day was held on March 4th in Miyagawacho Hanamachi featuring beautiful maiko of Hanafusa Okiya. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.
Maiko Kikutsuru was telling guests about this beautiful Japanese custom: "The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Back then people believed that dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits.Hina matsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi (lit. “doll floating”), in which straw hina dolls are set a float on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them".

Maiko Kikutsuru(left) and Maiko Kikumaru(right). Our Honorable guests are in the middle