Boy's Day Doll depicting a Noble A: Figure sitting with knees bent in front and feet not showing. Elbows are slightly bent with hands in feint. Head molded from wood paste and dipped in gofun (oyster shell powder) Painted features with black painted hairline, gray upswept eyebrows, faint red on lips, inset black glass eyes. Hands and feet also molded from wood paste and covered with gofun. Black silk fiber hair pulled back, wound with purple silk thread and then pulled up to top of head and tied with purple silk stiffened cord loops. Hair style is that of person of noble birth because pate is not shaved. Painted hair at back hair line and along front. Clothing consists of a kimono of greyish beige silk brocade with grey background with chrysanthemum vine and phoenix pattern in gold, dark purple, yellow green, yellow and dark grey, the large sleeves open at bottom are stiffened with paper and lined with off-white silk damask. Right under sleeve is roughly woven beige and gray cotton(?), lined with gauze and tied at the wrist with red cotton cords and the left under sleeve is red silk brocade with olive and white floral and geometric motifs in S shape and tied around wrist with red cotton cord. Three under kimonos of off-white silk are also visible at the neck. The front breast plate has an embossed metal plate across the top with a wave and sun design, below is woven armour of paper mache with red silk flat laces. There are two round metal bosses with a ring in each in the front. The breast plate is attached to back armour by bordered by purple and gold brocade straps edged with beige ichimatsu motif. On the left strap is a metal flower. The back of armour is silver painted paper mache with metal circular bosses where shoulder straps go under armour. A large three tier metal boss is only other decoration. Has a ring in the center. On left hand is paper mache armour guard in leather like tan and off-white. At each shoulder are two bordered pads, one red and gold brocade and under pad is beige brocade in a diamond pattern. They project from under shoulder straps. From under pads project three tier paper mache armour with reddish orange lacing. In front on left side attached by purple silk cord coming from under top shoulder pad is paper mache oblong shaped tab with purple cord and white and purple tassel. (Called Kyubi-no-ita, protective board for the collarbone.) On right side is a small three tier armour plated epaulets with red-orange lacing suspended by purple silk cord coming from under two shoulder pads. (Called Sen-dan-no-ita, which hangs from right shoulder to cover the right front.) Again there is a white and purple tassel. Around waist is a thickly padded white silk band knotted in front. Suspended from his waist is a leopard skin apron. On top also suspended from the waist are three sets of three tiered paper mache armour with red-orange lacing with metal band at bottom of each set with wave and sun design same as top front band. Back has two sets of three tiered paper mache armour with red-orange lacing and metal band on bottom. B: Sword - Black painted wood scabbard. Sword handle is wood with glued on granules, some gold. Fits under left arm with end fitting into kimono fold. Condition: Quite good. Fan missing, right hand armour is missing, helmet is missing.

1993.004.070