Ono’s local history has two distinct threads: the development of its shopping street during the Edo period and the history of Hina dolls. Traces of the former layout remain at the former site of the Ono Domain jin'ya, while the Koko-kan collects materials on history, performing arts, and local culture. The Big Hina Festival explores the origins and historical context of the dolls, while the Hina Walk brings them into view along the shopping street. If you want to understand Ono in its historical and cultural context, these distinctions can help you differentiate between the town’s layout, its museum, and its Hina events.

A Shopping Street with a History

During the Edo period, the lord of the Ono Domain established the Jinyamachi, from which Ono’s shopping street developed. Its origins are therefore part of the history of the former domain. The Ono Domain jin'ya was moved to the site of today’s Ono Elementary School. Traces of the former grounds remain both in the terrain and in the layout of the town lots. This means that two spatial reference points should be distinguished: the elementary school site marks the destination of the relocation, while traces of the former compound are found at its original site. The street and the jin'ya thus represent different aspects of local history.

The Koko-kan and Local Culture

The Koko-kan is located on the former jin'ya grounds in the shopping street area. This history museum collects and exhibits materials on Ono’s history, performing arts, and local culture. It complements the traces of the former compound with other cultural topics. This offers you another perspective on Ono: alongside the town’s layout, the museum also explores performing arts and local culture.

Hina Dolls: Origins, History, and Forms

The Big Hina Festival at the Koko-kan in the Ono area presents the origins and history of Hina dolls through documents. Among the dolls featured are those from the families of the former lord of the Ono Domain, court officials, merchants in the former town of Ono, and wealthy farmers from the former domain. These groups of origin thus range from the former ruling family and court officials to merchants and wealthy farmers. The dolls on display date from the end of the Edo period and from the Meiji, Taishō, Shōwa, and Heisei periods. Forms include court dolls, tiered displays, palace displays, standing dolls, and picture-scroll depictions. One exhibition featured a total of 84 groups, comprising 717 dolls and decorative objects. The individual exhibits may vary from one edition to the next.

The Hina Walk through the Shopping Street

During the Hina Walk through the Ono Domain Jinyamachi, Hina dolls are displayed along Ono’s shopping street. Compared with the Big Hina Festival, the difference lies in the focus: the festival uses documents to present the dolls’ origins and history, while the walk focuses on displaying them along the street. If you want to distinguish between these cultural highlights, this offers a clear guide: the festival connects the dolls’ forms with their history, while the walk brings the shopping street itself into focus as a place of exhibition.

Discover more destinations: Kato, Sanda, Yabu, Amagasaki, Akashi, Takarazuka, Asago, Sasayama

For the overview of the wider region: Hyōgo Prefecture.