Tokyo shrine honors precious dolls, in photos

Published: 08:07 EDT, 13 October 2026 | Updated: 08:07 EDT, 13 October 2026

TOKYO, Japan (AP) – At the Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Shinto priests are helping families say a final farewell to beloved dolls.

As representatives from a traditional Japanese doll company clap their hands in prayer, the priests symbolically release the spirits associated with the dolls, offering prayers for the health of their owners and families.

It’s a ritual that honors the long-cherished toys and helps owners let go.

Many of them are elaborate dolls dressed in brightly colored kimono, some of which have been in families for more than 100 years, but next to them you can find ordinary children’s toys: Snoopy, plush cats.

Prayers are then made over doll-shaped paper talismans, which are burned in place of the dolls.

The paper turns to gray ash. But the memories, and the dolls, remain as vivid as yesterday.

A doll is seen behind a miniature Samurai helmet among items displayed for a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A Shinto priest offers prayers for dolls no longer used by their owners during a traditional doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Doll-shaped paper cutouts are burned as part of a prayer ritual during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Shinto priest performs rituals during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Dolls and stuffed toys no longer used by their owners are seen during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Representatives from a traditional Japanese doll company offer prayers for dolls no longer used by their owners during a traditional doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A priest sits next to dolls during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Shinto priest carries a box containing doll-shaped paper talismans during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Dolls no longer used by their owners are seen during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Shinto priest performs a purification ritual in front of dolls and stuffed toys during a doll memorial ceremony at Dairokuten Sakaki Shrine in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

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