hina dolls furniture for daily use?

Hello,
I'm an English teacher in Japan. Recently a student of mine gave me a very old box. When I opened it up, it contained very pretty and detailed , miniature hina dolls furniture : a tiny chest of drawers, a trunk, 2 small closets...all elaborately decorated in black and gold. She gave it me as a present and said I could use them for daily small items (such as ear-rings and so on). Well, I thanked her very much and was moved by her kindness. Though I have hesitated to use them yet. I just wonder if anyone else uses hina dolls furniture for daily use? the Hina matsuri seems to be a mysterious festival with some superstitions attached ...

Sam,

I suppose what you have in mind is the "After Hinamatsuri, put your Hina dolls away ASAP or you'll marry late." superstition. You have every right to follow that.

But the thing is, the furnitures are supposed to be used along with the dolls, as a whole set. So since you don't have the dolls, I'm not even sure if you can still call it a "Hina" thing.

Why not visit or call a hina doll maker such as Kyugetsu or Yoshitoku and ask for advise. Of course, you never know if the advise is right or wrong, but I'm sure it will make you feel better to follow whatever a specialist says.

Just for reference, I know a lot of people without unmarried daughters who would keep the dolls out for ages.

http://www.kyugetsu.com/guide/inquire.html
http://www.yoshitoku.co.jp/toiawase/index.html

I don't see anything wrong to use the little furniture as a jwelry box or a decoration piece. Some Western people use "obi" as a table runner and I think it is a cool way to use it.

Thanks Uco and Ikuyo,

Uco you hit the nail on the head! Absolutely right. I am concerned about those superstitions ... and also what my Japanese friends might think if they saw them. Your advice is sound, if I have a chance I'll ask a doll-maker. There is one in my area. Thanks for your feedback.
Ikuyo, using obis for table runners! what a novel idea! I like it.

On another note, Uco and Ikuyo you have both given me advice before on this forum. I (and many others) on this forum appreciate your kindness and wisdom! Thank You.

Sam,

Your Japanese friends will think nothing even if they saw you using it. I don't even think they would recognize they belong to a Hina doll set.

Once they find out it's part of the set, they might think, "Isn't Sam afraid of not being able to get married? Doesn't she know the superstition? But that's none of my business if she stays single." So as long as you don't care, they won't care.

Even my tea ceremony teacher (who is expected to know all the tradtions) kept her dolls out until April. She would say, "I know it's April, but I don't care and these dolls are so beautiful they diserve to be seen." So if you're worried about friends, you can comment similarly.