These artifacts are of the Japanese boy’s doll festival that takes place in May. The two wooden structures, or pavillions, are topped by elaborate figures, one a scholar and the other a warrior. Each pavillion (called dashi) stands about three feet high and is made of a frame of painted balsa wood which is, in part covered in colourful embroidered cloth. Inside each of the pavillions, at floor level, are three musicians. Cloth draped oxen, tended by a number of handlers, are there to pull the structures along. This festival, or Tango as it is called, is one of the seasonal festivals. Every family that has a boy will display dolls at home, a banner, and carp balloons to symbolize prosperity and life. This festival encourages the boys’ spirits so that they may become good, healthy, and loyal. This wonderful artifact, which dates from the 1930s, was brought to Thunder Bay by Japanese immigrants.
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