The Japanese Collections 17 



historical characters are sometimes added to this 

 group. Before them the girls are accustomed to place, 

 with deep reverence, offerings of food and sake, the 

 well-known rice wine. The dolls remain on view for a 

 week, after which they are carefully packed away until 

 the following year. 



In Cases 5 and 6 the costume of the Japanese woman 

 of the present time is on view. These robes are those 

 worn by women of the upper classes, typical costumes 

 of the wives and daughters of samurai. The peasant 

 costume and the old court costume distinctly differ 

 from these. The wide sash (obi) and the elaborate 

 modes of dressing the hair were products of the Toku- 

 gawa period, again reflecting those luxurious days. 

 The sash of earlier times was merely a cord or an un- 

 pretentious belt. It became, after the seventeenth 

 century, the most important article of a woman's 

 wardrobe. Generally, five and a half yards long, often 

 of rich brocade with gold threads (such as on one of 

 the figures) , it is wound tightly around the waist, thus 

 forming a support. It is then tied in a complicated 

 knot or bow. Two styles of knots are here shown ; the 

 flat one, used by married women, and the more elabo- 

 rate butterfly bow, worn by the maiden. The dress- 

 ing of the hair is likewise an indication of the woman's 

 position. Made stiff with oil, the wife's hair is ar- 

 ranged in a single large puff, while the unmarried 

 woman wears two loops, — a large one in front and a 

 smaller one behind. The street mode is again a differ- 

 ent type. Two puffs, one on either side, are held in 

 place by a roll of silk which passes through them. 



The robes (kimono) shown on the three figures 

 are typical garments for winter, summer and street 

 wear. All are of silk, two being embroidered in flowers 

 appropriate for the seasons. 



[17] 



