THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM 



here ; the central aisle divides the hall into halves, the right 

 or south side being devoted for the most part to military 

 costumes, accoutrements and paraphernalia and color 

 prints representing war, while the other side is given over 

 to civil, ceremonial and religious costumes and objects re- 

 lating to the arts. 



At the right of the entrance two large cases are devoted 

 to an exhibit of dolls used in the annual celebration of the 

 "Hinamatsuri," or dolls' festival, on the third day of the 

 third month. This is the girls' fete day, when dolls repre- 

 senting historical characters, studiously exact in every de- 

 tail, and with attendant servitors, vassals, equipages, etc., 

 are marshalled by the children. The making of these costly 

 dolls provides employment for many artists, and collections 

 of them are handed down from generation to generation. 

 The idea on which the festival is based originated in China 

 as a rite for exorcising evil spirits, consisting in rubbing 

 one's self with a puppet provided by the exerciser. Family 

 puppets were later ranged in a shelf, and out of this grew 

 the Japanese festival. 



Beside and behind these cases a fine collection of orna- 

 mented swords, sword hilts, scabbards and mountings may 

 be seen, adjoining exhibits of spears, spear racks and chain 

 armor. The inlaying of armor with gold and silver began 

 in Japan in the twelfth century or earlier, but sword deco- 

 ration not until the fifteenth century. 



The majority of the high floor cases on this side of the 

 hall are utilized to display a very remarkable collection of 



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