Editing Hinamatsuri (section)

== Origin ==
[[File:Empress Kojun and Princesses.jpg|thumb|right|[[Empress Kōjun]] attending the festival with her daughters, c. 1940]]

It is said that the first time {{tlit|ja|hina}} dolls were shown in the manner they are now as part of the Peach Festival was when the young [[Empress Meishō|princess Meisho]] succeeded to the throne of her abdicating father, [[Emperor Go-Mizunoo]], in 1629. Because empresses regnant in Japan at the time were not allowed to get married, Meisho's mother, [[Tokugawa Masako]], created a doll arrangement showing Meisho blissfully wedded.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nagata |first=Hisashi |script-title=ja:年中行事を「科学」する：暦のなかの文化と知恵 |title=Nenchūgyōji o kagaku suru: Koyomi no naka no bunka to chie |trans-title=The science of annual events: Culture and wisdom in the calendar |language=ja |publisher=[[Nikkei BP]] Marketing (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing) |date=March 14, 1989 |pages=72–73 |isbn=4532094798}}</ref> {{tlit|ja|Hinamatsuri}} then officially became the name of the festival in 1687. Doll-makers began making elaborate dolls for the festival (some growing as tall as {{convert|3|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} high before laws were passed restricting their size). Over time, the {{tlit|ja|hinakazari}} evolved to include fifteen dolls and accessories. As dolls became more expensive, tiers were added to the {{tlit|ja|hinadan}} so that the expensive ones could be placed out of the reach of young children.<ref name="Shoaf"/>

During the [[Meiji period]] as Japan began to modernize and the emperor was restored to power, {{tlit|ja|Hinamatsuri}} was deprecated in favor of new holidays that focused on the emperor's supposed bond with the nation. By focusing on marriage and families, it represented Japanese hopes and values. The dolls were said to represent the emperor and empress; they also fostered respect for the throne. The holiday then spread to other countries via the [[Japanese diaspora]], although it remains confined to Japanese immigrant communities and descendants.<ref name="Shoaf"/>