Past Exhibitions
- Feature Exhibition: Celebrating the Japanese Doll Festival
- February 9, 2021 - March 8, 2020
Even before the Edo period (1615–1868), dolls were believed to have the
power to protect people from infectious diseases. The Kyoto National
Museum's annual doll exhibition typically deals with the history of hina
dolls and the Kansai-style pavilions built to display them, along with a
variety of other dolls made in Kyoto.
This year, with the global pandemic, the museum also introduces
dolls representing the redheaded figure Shōjō, developed in the Edo
period to mitigate the effects the smallpox virus. Due to coronavirus
precautions, this year's Doll Festival exhibition may not be as elaborate as
in some years, but it offers visitors a chance to pray for the end of this
epidemic through Shōjō figurines.
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