This photo was submitted by Keiko Moriyama of Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 2021 Hinamatsuri Photo Activity, presented in collaboration with the Japanese Ame, rican Cultural & Community Center and Japanese American National Museum.

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A few years after my parents’ passing, I came across an old tattered box tucked away in the far corner of their garage. What a delightful surprise when I discovered nine Hinamatsuri dolls carefully wrapped in yellowed newspaper. The dolls were in impeccable shape considering they were over 60 years old. Included with the dolls was a 1957 photo of me posing in front of the Hanamatsuri display my father had built, rekindling a flood of heartfelt memories from my childhood. Today, they are beautifully displayed in a glass cabinet in my living room.

This is a photo of Daijin or the Two Ministers (always an Elder Minister and a Junior Minister) who acted as bodyguards for the Emperor and Empress

P.S. I, unfortunately, did not find the Emperor and Empress dolls, the two main characters of the Hinamatsuri display.