*THIS ITEM WILL SHIP VIA EMS EXPRESS TO ALL AVAILABLE DESTINATIONS.

This listing is for an Emperor and Empress Dairi-bina doll pair dating back to the early 1930s.  They were created for Mitsukoshi Ginza Department store and belonged to a local family here in Setagaya in Tokyo.  Their costumes are made of silk and are in excellent condition considering the age of the dolls.  It’s difficult to find dolls in such good condition as children often couldn’t resist the temptation to play with them.  The dolls faces and limbs are painted with gofun pigment and their eyes are made of carved bone.  Each doll is seated on a wooden stand decorated with lacquer and silk.  According to various blog entries these dolls were possibly made by Maruhei Ooki Doll shop in Kyoto.  They come with their original wooden storage box and were very well taken care of.

Hina ningyo are ornamental dolls displayed during the annual hina matsuri on March 3rd. This is a day to pray for young girl's growth and happiness, and most families with girls display these dolls and eat special kinds of food. The dolls are usually arranged on a five or seven-tiered stand covered with a red carpet. At the top are the Emperor and Empress. The next tier contains three court ladies, followed by the five musicians, then two imperial guards, and finally three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display. The display also includes small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, and little lanterns.

Sizes

Box:  H.22.6cm (8.8”) x 40.8cm (16”) x 17.2cm (6.7”)

Emperor:  H.21.3cm (8.3”) including his hat x 18.1cm (7.1”) across x 13.7cm (5.3”) from back to front

Empress:  H.20.3cm (7.9”) including her crown x 18.1cm (7.1”) across x 13.7cm (5.3”) from back to front

Condition

The wooden box is discoloured, spotty, has scratches/scuffing, the lid has loose nails and parts, but still slides in and out as it should.  The lid also has gaps, and the nails at the back of the box are coming loose.  There are little wooden nails on the interior of the box suggesting that there was perhaps a little shelf area in there.  The clothes and hair belonging to the emperor is in great condition, the only noticeable thing is that the lacquer on the wooden stand is a little cloudy and his hair has a little wear.  The empress’s hair is ‘messy’ and her scalp is showing under her crown.  The tassels and small strings are messy however her clothes are in very good condition.

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway:  EMS Express 7-10 days.

**Asia:  EMS Express 3-5 days.

**Central Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico:  EMS Express 10-15 days.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.