Japanese Kabuki - Renjishi Lion Dancer Dolls

Japanese Kabuki - Renjishi Lion Dancer Dolls

Being Japanese mom had plenty of dolls. The only ones I ever liked was this pair of Kabuki lion dancer dolls. Of course ever since I was call them obaki dolls.

The following is a description I found online. I am not sure that the name of of the character translated properly? Because shishi in Japanese means to urinate or pee pee! Lol

These are the traditional Kabuki theatre characters from the play, “Renjishi.” The white mane lion dancer, Kagami Jisha - Shishi, is in a standing pose, and the red mane lion dancer, Aka Shishi gracefully kneels. Both Lion Dancer dolls have vibrant Kabuki make-up applied to their beautiful Gofun faces, and their delicate Gofun hands and feet are posed very realistically. The lavish costumes all beautifully rendered, and are constructed of silk. The costuming consists of an inner kimono and hakama with obi, complemented by an outer kimono with wide-open sleeves.

OBAKI
Obake and bakemono are a class of preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting.

KABUKI
a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance, now performed only by male actors, using exaggerated gestures and body movements to express emotions, and including historical plays, domestic dramas, and dance pieces.

THE LION PLAY (long winded)
It is based on a folk story about a monk that had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked Buddah how he could prevent these evils from occurring. Buddah told him through his dream that a lion would protect his people and fight back the evils. The colors in their embroidered gowns are rich and vibrant, their faces are perfection. Renjishi (The Lion Dance) was first performed in 1861. It belongs to a genre of dances related to the sacred lion on which Monju, the god of wisdom, rides. This dance features two performers who portray a lion parent and its cub. They act out the classic Chinese tale in which a lion pushes its cub into a ravine to force it to fend for itself. At first, the cub seems unable to manage and the lion grieves. When the cub finally clambers to the top, he is recognized as an adult. At this point the two actors withdraw, reappearing in the great finale as long-maned lions, one with white hair, the other with red hair.