Chrysanthemum doll

This is a craft in which the costume of a doll is made by combining chrysanthemum flowers and leaves. In the past, it was also called chrysanthemum craft. It came to be called chrysanthemum dolls when the heads of living dolls made to resemble popular actors based on popular kyogen plays began to be used. There are many types, including those based on plays and stories, those based on social trends and customs, and those featuring flowers, birds, and animals such as cranes and Chinese lions. It is said to have started in the early Bunka era (1804-18) of the Edo period, when gardeners in Mamiana, Azabu, Edo made them. It then became popular among gardeners in Somei, Sugamo, and by the end of the Bunka era, there were over 50 houses in Sugamo exhibiting chrysanthemum crafts, and it was so popular that a ranking of prints was published. In 1844 (Koka 1), chrysanthemum decorations such as "Nichiren Persecution" at the ceremony of Sugamo Reikan-in Temple became popular, and the following year they spread as a spectacle mainly in the Hakusan, Komagome, Nezu Yanaka, and Dangozaka areas. Even households other than gardeners started making these crafts, and the number of such businesses rose to over 60.

This event continued to thrive into the Meiji period, with visitors allowed to view it every year from October to November, and from 1875 (Meiji 8) an admission fee was charged. Furthermore, in 1910 (Meiji 43), an electrically powered chrysanthemum doll competition was held at the Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Ryogoku, and it has since become one of Tokyo's autumn events. The chrysanthemum dolls at Dangozaka survived until the end of the Meiji period. Today, they are used to attract visitors to amusement parks, and other well-known chrysanthemum dolls are found in Nihonmatsu (Fukushima Prefecture), Kasama (Ibaraki Prefecture), Banshoji (Nagoya), Kameoka (Kyoto Prefecture), and Hirakata (Osaka Prefecture).

[Ryosuke Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

人形の衣装を菊の花や葉を組み合わせてつくった細工物。古くは菊細工ともいった。芝居の当り狂言を題材にして人気俳優の似顔につくった生き人形の頭(かしら)を用いるようになってから菊人形とよぶようになった。劇や物語に仕組んだもの、世相風俗に取題したもの、鶴(つる)、唐獅子(からじし)など花鳥、動物類を扱ったものなど種類が多い。江戸時代、文化(ぶんか)年間（1804～18）前期、江戸で麻布狸穴(まみあな)の植木屋たちが手がけたのが始まりという。続いて巣鴨(すがも)の染井(そめい)の植木職の間でも流行、文化末年には巣鴨に菊細工を見せる家が50余軒も出現して、一枚摺(ず)りの番付が発行されるほどの隆盛を示した。1844年（弘化1）に巣鴨霊感院の会式(えしき)に「日蓮(にちれん)法難」などの菊細工の飾り物が評判になり、翌年には白山、駒込(こまごめ)、根津谷中(ねづやなか)一帯、団子坂(だんござか)を中心に見せ物として進出。植木職以外の家までがこの細工物を業とし、その数は60余軒に上った。

　明治期に入ってもこの催しは盛んで、毎年10月から11月にかけて見物させ、1875年（明治8）からは入場料をとるようになった。さらに1910年（明治43）には両国の国技館で電気応用の菊人形大会が催され、以後東京の秋の催し行事の一つとなった。団子坂の菊人形は明治末年まで残存した。現在では遊園地などの客寄せ用に行われているが、二本松（福島県）、笠間(かさま)（茨城県）、万松寺（名古屋）、亀岡（京都府）、枚方(ひらかた)（大阪府）などの菊人形が知られている。

［斎藤良輔］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例