Handing down dolls and traditions : the Big Hinamatsuri and community revitalization in Tokushima, Japan
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Anthropology, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Gunawan, Rosalie Tatiana
issued: 2024-06-11T08:06:37Z
issued: 2024
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: This thesis explores how the town of Katsuura in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan leverages notions of Japanese national identity for community revitalization (chiiki kasseika) through the town’s formation of the Big Hinamatsuri (Biggu Hinamatsuri). Started in 1988 in Katsuura, Tokushima, the Big Hinamatsuri began in reaction to poor economic conditions when a cold snap devasted the agricultural town’s mikan orange crop, the town’s primary export. Held annually from mid-February to late March in a public display hall, the Big Hinamatsuri is a festival that draws on elements of nostalgia and national identity by embellishing features from Hinamatsuri, a beloved tradition with roots in the Heian period (794–1185 CE) that is celebrated annually across Japan on March 3 by displaying sets of ornamental dolls within the home to wish for the health and prosperity of girls. This study examines the close association of the Big Hinamatsuri with Katsuura’s image and tourism promotion to understand how national identity is reproduced using tourism as a conduit for community revitalization. I investigate the political and historical elements shaping community revitalization in Japan and Tokushima Prefecture, analyze portrayals of Katsuura depicted in tourism promotion, and draw on ethnographic interviews to demonstrate how the town and residents of Katsuura make use of non-local traditions to align with national narratives of the rural for the town’s continuation. I assert that Katsuura’s formation of the Big Hinamatsuri and close association of the festival with the town’s image and tourism promotion (re)produces notions of Japanese national identity to attract people to the rural town and revitalize the community through heritage tourism.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/88454
note: HANDING DOWN DOLLS AND TRADITIONS: THE BIG HINAMATSURI AND COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION IN TOKUSHIMA, JAPAN by Rosalie Tatiana Gunawan B.A., The University of Alaska Anchorage, 2016 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Anthropology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2024 © Rosalie Tatiana Gunawan, 2024 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Handing down dolls and traditions: the Big Hinamatsuri and community revitalization in Tokushima, Japan submitted by Rosalie Tatiana Gunawan in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Examining Committee: Dr. Millie Creighton, Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of British Columbia Supervisor Dr. Sabina Magliocco, Professor, Anthropology, University of British Columbia Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Christina Laffin, Associate Professor, Asian Studies, University of British Columbia Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Jennifer Kramer, Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of British Columbia Additional Examiner iii Abstract This thesis explores how the town of Katsuura in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan leverages notions of Japanese national identity for community revitalization (chiiki kasseika) through the town’s formation of the Big Hinamatsuri (Biggu Hinamatsuri). Started in 1988 in Katsuura, Tokushima, the Big Hinamatsuri began in reaction to poor economic conditions when a cold snap devasted the agricultural town’s mikan orange crop, the town’s primary export. Held annually from mid-February to late March in a public display hall, the Big Hinamatsuri is a festival that draws on elements of nostalgia and national identity by embellishing features from Hinamatsuri, a beloved tradition with roots in the Heian period (794–118…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2024-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0443951
language: eng
degree discipline: Anthropology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Creighton, Millie R.
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88454