Playing house

A game in which girls pretend to cook food. There are also games that incorporate dolls, and there are various ways to play such as pretending to be guests, inviting guests, socializing, and gift-giving, which imitate daily family life such as pretending to be guests and being invited. In "Kiyu Shoran" (Kitamura Nobuyo), published in 1830 (Tenpo 1), it is written that "In children's language, mamakoto means to cook rice. This game is for learning how to cook rice and various foods. It is not only for girls," and it is a game mainly played by girls, but sometimes boys also join in. The origin of this game is ancient, and in tombs from the Kofun period (around the 3rd to 7th centuries), imitation everyday items (mirrors, combs, etc.) and weaving tools (reeds, shuttles, etc.) made of wax and talc, which are thought to have been used at the time as a kind of playhouse tools, have been excavated. Classical texts such as the Murasaki Shikibu Diary record that in the Heian period, there were playthings used for playing with Hina dolls. In the Edo period, playthings made from wood or bamboo, clay tea bowls, sake bottles, and mochi nets made from brass or copper appeared, but the use of natural toys such as stones, grass, and soil has been around for a long time and can still be seen today. In the Meiji period, tinplate toys appeared, and sets containing pots, kettles, cutting boards, and other items were made. In the Showa period, aluminum and celluloid products were added, increasing the variety. After World War II, plastic products became more prevalent, and new types of playthings, such as kitchen sets, appeared. Battery-operated washing machines that work just like the real thing and stainless steel kitchen utensils are also on the market.

[Ryosuke Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

女の子が食物調理のまねごとなどをする遊び。また人形遊びを交えたものがあり、お客さんごっこ、およばれごとなど日常家庭生活をまねた招客、交際、贈答などさまざまな遊び方がある。1830年（天保1）刊の『嬉遊笑覧(きゆうしょうらん)』（喜多村信節(きたむらのぶよ)著）に、「まゝこととは小児の言葉に飯をまゝといふ。此戯(このあそび)は飯作り種々食物を料理する学びなればなり。女子のみにあらず」とあり、少女が主体の遊びであるが、ときには男の子も加わる。この遊びの起源は古く、古墳時代（3世紀～7世紀ごろ）の墳墓からも、一種のままごと道具として当時用いられたと推定されるろう石、滑石製模造品の日用具（鏡、櫛(くし)など）や機織り具（筬(おさ)、杼(ひ)など）が発掘される。平安時代には雛(ひいな)遊びにままごと道具が存在していたことを『紫式部(むらさきしきぶ)日記』などの古典が記している。江戸時代には木・竹製のままごと道具、土焼きの茶碗(ちゃわん)、徳利類、真鍮(しんちゅう)・銅製の餅網(もちあみ)などが登場したが、このほか石、草、土などの自然物玩具(がんぐ)を用いる風景は古くからあり、現在もみられる。明治時代にはブリキ製が現れ、鍋(なべ)、釜(かま)、まな板などをセットにしたものがつくられた。昭和時代にかけてアルミニウム、セルロイド製品が加わって種類が増えた。第二次世界大戦後はプラスチック製品が進出してきて、ままごと道具もキッチンセットなどの新型が出現。電池で本物そっくりに動く洗濯機や、ステンレス製の台所用品も出回っている。

［斎藤良輔］

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