The custom of celebrating the Girl’s Day by displaying Hina Matsuri dolls on March 3rd is so deeply rooted in the Japanese culture that it may seem really old, but in fact the tradition begun only 400 years ago.

However, the elaborate handcrafted dolls were inspired by a truly old tradition, called Hina Nagashi ("floating dolls"), a Shinto festival in which the evil spirits were transferred into paper dolls placed on boats and cast away on rivers.

In time, the Hina Matsuri dolls were diversified, and today there are many variations, created from various materials. Still, regardless the style or size, the Hina Matsuri dolls are true works of art, like this pair displayed at Yushima Tenjin, in Ueno, Tokyo…

Hina Matsuri dolls, Yushima Tenjin Shrine, Ueno, Tokyo

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese cute cat statues