Hita Tenryo Oita

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. tenryō 天領 Tenryo Government Land "Land of Heaven" .
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Hita 日田市 - Bungo no Kuni Hita 豊後国日田
Part of Bungo is now in Oita prefecture, part in Fukuoka.



- quote -
Hita (日田市 Hita-shi) is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, that was founded on December 11, 1940. It is an agricultural and industrial centre that primarily produces lumber, furniture, and pottery. Its attractions and scenic beauty also make it a popular tourist destination.
..... Hita is located in the far west of Ōita Prefecture, and borders the neighbouring prefectures of Fukuoka, and Kumamoto. Surrounding cities include Kurume to its west, Nakatsu to the north, and Kusu to the east.
..... Many rivers that run through Hita join up to the Mikuma River. This river was used to distribute lumber to Kurume and Ōkawa at the end of the Edo Period but with the completion of the Yoake Dam, the use of this route stopped.

----- History
In 1593, Hita came under the direct control of the Toyotomi Household as the main city overseeing Kyushu. After the completion of Hinokuma castle and fortification of Nagayama castle, Hita passed from the Toyotomi household to the new Daimyo Tokugawa Ieyasu and became a "Tenryo" town, in which the town was under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate. After the Meiji period it was known as Hita Prefecture, and after that, it was assimilated into Ōita Prefecture.
..... During the Edo period, Hita was modeled after Kyoto and its merchant culture, and even now, it is called "Little Kyoto".
- - - - - Festivals
Hina Dolls Festival (February/March)
Cherry Blossom Festival (First Sunday in April): Kizan Park
River Opening Festival (First weekend after May 20)
Gion Festival (First Sunday after July 20)
Tenryo Festival (Third weekend in October)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- quote -
Hita is famous for its quality bamboo and cedar timbers.
This resource made it to a Tenryo.
Hita prospered as tenryo 天領 (direct controlled territory of Edo Shogunate) during the Edo period (1603-1868). It is called "Little Kyoto", and has old buildings standing in a row, even today, near the hot spring resort. In Mameta town, you can enjoy a stroll through the historic streets.
Hita hot spring is known as "spring for birth", and is effective for neuralgia, recovering from fatigue and more.
source : wikitravel.org

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Taio kinzan 鯛生金山 Taio Gold Mine, goldmine
大分県日田市 中津江村合瀬3750



Once the largest gold mine in the East (42 tons), this mine stretched 110km in length. Now about 800m has been recreated as an underground museum to demonstrate the gold mine in the old days.
The gold mine was closed in 1972.

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ayuyana　鮎簗 bamboo fish traps



Along the Mikuma river from July till November.
The fish are caught and grilled with salt

. yana 魚簗 (やな) fish trap .

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Hita geta　日田下駄 geta wooden sandals from Hita



Made from the wood of sugi 日田杉　Hita Cedar trees

. geta 下駄 wooden sandals, clogs .

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Hita Gion Matsuri 日田祇園祭り　Hita Gion Festival



The Gion Festival Centre in Kuma-machi provides information about the history and activities of Hita's annual summer festival, and exhibits six full-sized floats which are paraded around the city during the annual Gion Festival.


CLICK for more photos !

日田祇園山鉾会館 Hita Gion Float Museum

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Hita Tenryo Matsuri　日田天領まつり　Hita Tenryo Festival
Third weekend in October



This festival celebrates Hita's Edo period, when it was under direct Tokugawa supervision. The highlight is a procession of 200 people through the city in full Edo-period costume. The name of the festival comes from the phrase tenryō, used to describe such direct Tokugawa landholdings (Hita was part of the territory overseen by the saigoku gundai, the deputy of the western provinces).

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Tenryo Hita Doll Festival　天領日田雛まつり
February 15 ~ March 31 豆田町 Mameda-machi, Kuma-machi



Hina Dolls: Suffused with the Traditional Beauty of the Edo Period
The doll festival is a harbinger of spring in Hita’s Tenryo district.
The vividly-colored, elaborate dolls and their accoutrements, which were made from the Edo period to the Meiji era, are displayed throughout the area and attract tourists from all over Kyushu.
The exhibitions are held in 20 locations in Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi on either side of the JR Hita Station, and the colorful doll festival atmosphere brightens the neighborhood in a way evocative of ages past.
The dolls on display have been well preserved by commercial establishments in the city. They present an excellent opportunity to see the inherent beauty of traditional crafts, particularly the attractive coloring of the clothing, the workmanship of the accessories, and the unique expression on each doll’s face.
The exhibition area itself has many buildings dating from the Edo period and the Meiji era. Mameda has been designated an important traditional architectural preservation district by the national government. Combined with the doll exhibits, the buildings offer visitors a stately sense of history.
Hita is dotted with three-story wood frame buildings that date back three centuries, so visitors can also enjoy the street scenes.
Tenryo Hina Jinya (museum) 天領雛陣屋
- source : fukuoka-now.com/en/article -

The 草野本家 Kusano family Hina Dolls can be viewed at the oldest house in Hita during the tourist season. In the March Doll's Festival, up to 200 of the collection are on display at once.

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kiji uma きじ馬 "pheasant horse"



Kitayamada no kijiguruma 北山田のきじ車 and Kusu village 玖珠町
This model is found in many parts of the Kusu plain, in the north of Oita prefecture. The villages are trying to revive the village life with this toy, especially Oonohara village 大野原 Onohara.
The toy is made from plain wood of the magnolia hypoleuca tree ホオノキ, with two wheels and a saddle.
It was given to a family when a baby boy war born.
It strong and simple making allowed the boy to sit on it and ride it like a horse.
Other villages to make this type are Tobata 戸畑 and Yamaura 山浦.

. Kiji-guruma きじ車 pheasant on wheels - Introduction Kyushu


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Ontayaki 小鹿田焼 Onta ware, Onta pottery
created in the mountain village of Sarayama



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Onta Kilns 小鹿田焼 / おんたやきOntayaki - (Ondayaki)
... Onta Village is one of the most unique places to discover in all of Japan - and that's not just in terms of its ceramics.
Administratively, Onta is part of Hita City in central Northern Kyushu, right on the Oita side of the Fukuoka - Oita prefectural border.
Hita itself is an ancient town with plenty of historic quarters to visit.
- - - - - Onta Village
The first thing you will notice when you walk into the village, are the ancient style water-powered wooden hammers whacking away at piles of yellow clay. The thump-thump- thump of the hammers echoes through the entire valley, providing a unique soundtrack to your walk. Every house in the village is close to the river flowing through it and they all use the power provided by the water to get their clay powdered - the base of their ceramics.
The principle of the hammers
dates back centuries at least: the wooden beam that carries the hammer has a large hollow carved in. That hollow fills with water, the weight of the water raising the hammer. After a few seconds, the beam is raised by that weight so high up that the water flows out - which lets the hammer whack down. The procedure repeats, repeats and repeats. You can see that some of the beams already have noticeable cracks in them - they will be replaced soon.
The village
consists of ten families, all with their large houses and all with their own kilns.
All pottery here is produced in ancient ways. The water-powered hammers prepare the clay. The clay is then watered by hand and readied for the potter's wheel where the shapes of the plates, cups and bowls are formed by hand while the wheel is driven by the potters' feet. The typical Ontayaki patters are impressed on the ware manually with combs, brushes or irons.
Weather permitting,
the wares are then dried on boards outside the houses before they go into the wood-fired kilns for burning and glazing. No modern machinery is used in the production process at all. All wares are manufactured exactly the way they were when the village was set up 300 years ago.
This, of course,
has been only possible by maintaining a social structure of the most conservative kind. One young woman encountered at a visit to Onta relayed that she had grown up in a modern metropolitan area. She fell in love with an Onta boy and they married. That was the end of going to clubs and bars. She had to become a real potter's wife, spending all her waking hours on the family pottery work. She grew to enjoy that way of living, she said, though she admitted that it was tough in the beginning.
Every family pottery has its own store.
Most likely you will have to go look and find someone of the family and interrupt them in doing some other work to serve you.
- -- - - Onta Ware
Onta Ware is heavy-duty ceramic for daily use. Most of it is basic kitchenware like plates, bowls and tea cups but also vases and traditional drink pitchers. It's beautiful and every piece is handmade and unique.
- source : Johannes Schonherr -
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urushi日田漆 laquerware from Hita
Made from the wood of the Hita cedar trees.


相澤漆器 Aizawa laquer shop - Daruma




蒔絵盃

- Look at more photos : 日田のお雛様
- source : 田中秀子 -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. - Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / ヤマワロ / 山童
"Child of the Mountain" - .
- - - - - and his alter ego
Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"
Yamawaro is a mixture of man and monkey.

yamawaroo 山童 ヤマワロ，yajin 野人
むかし豊後国日田の伏木村で、ある親が泣き止まない子を家から出していたら、声が次第に山の方へ消え入り、子が行方不明になった。１０年ほど後に日田に住む小一という者が日向の梓越嶺を歩行中、満身に毛が生えた２～３ｍの動物と遭遇した。それは人語を話し、我は伏木で行方不明となった子で、今はある者に仕えて数山の主となっていると告げて別れた。これは山童・野人の類である。

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daija no hone 大蛇の骨
筑前国の佐田村に流れる谷川の中に、大蛇の骨が発見された。嘉永６年（１８５３）に豊後国日田の松原という里で現れた、約１０ｍの大蛇よりも一層大きく、昨年の大地震で圧死したのであろう。長年日田近辺で大蛇を探していた山田兄弟がその骨を買い、図を作って送ってよこした。


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前津江村 Maetsue village

貧しい身なりの旅僧（弘法大師）が，芋や大根を洗ったり洗濯をしている老婆にそれらを所望したが，断わったり，洗わない芋を与えたので，その川の水が無くなった。


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Hita city, 渡里 Watari

oni 鬼 a demon
筆者の郷里に渡里という場所がある。土地の古老が言うには、ここは鬼の首を埋めた場所だという。ただし筆者によれば、これは賊の事を指しているのだろう。

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- source : nichibun yokai database -

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

日田杉のずんと高むや秋の空
Hita sugi no zun to takamu ya aki no sora

it looks even higher
above the Hita cedars -
this autumn sky

Takazawa Ryooichi 高澤良一 Takazawa Ryoichi




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日田杉の身に入む山に泊りけり
鈴木しげを

日田杉の鉾をそろへて山始
岩崎照子

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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples .


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- - - #hitatenryo #hitaoita - - - - -
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kideko Otomo dolls Oita

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. Oita Folk Art - 大分県 .
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kideko, ki deko  木でこ head made from wood
Ootomo ningyoo 大友人形 Otomo dolls



An amulet to ward off evil.

During the times of the War against Korea by 豊臣秀吉 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Lord of Ootomo 大友宗麟 Otomo Sorin had them made to ward off bad luck. Therefore they are also called
Ootomo ningyoo 大友人形 Otomo dolls.
A stem of wood is cut with six or eight corners and a demon face carved into it. A red tongue is sticking out.
It is said to resemble the deity who protected Korean soldiers, 天下大将軍 Tenka Taishogun, which Lord Otomo has seen in Korea.
He had some wooden stems planted along the road as a kind of 道祖神 Dosojin, wayside deities.




. Koma jinja no shoogun hyoo 高麗神社の将軍標 memorials for Korean Deities .
Saitama

. 天下大将軍標 Tenka Taishogun .



. yakuyoke 厄除け to ward off evil .

. Doosojin 道祖神 Dosojin, The Wayside Gods .



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Ootomo Soorin, Ōtomo Sōrin 大友宗麟 Otomo Sorin
(1530 - 1587)



also known as
Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原義鎮) and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友義鎮),
was a Japanese feudal lord (daimyo) of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the Funai Domain, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father. He is perhaps most significant for having appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi to intervene in Kyūshū against the Shimazu clan, thus spurring Hideyoshi's Kyūshū Campaign of 1587.

In addition to unifying much of Kyūshū under his control, and securing a significant gain in his clan's power and prestige therefore, Sōrin is also quite significant as one of the daimyo to meet personally, in 1551, with the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, one of the first Europeans in Japan. Though he later formally converted to Christianity, it is likely that Sōrin saw this as a strategic move, politically, and was not religiously motivated towards this position. Referred to as the "King of Bungo" in the Jesuit records, Sōrin sent political delegations to Goa in the 1550s, and the Tenshō embassy to Rome in 1582.



In 1562, Yoshishige adopted the name Kyuuan Soorin 休庵宗麟　 "Kyuan Sōrin" upon becoming a Buddhist monk, but remains best known as Ōtomo Sōrin, despite converting to Christianity under the baptismal name Francisco in 1578. He then turned against the Mōri and Shimazu clans, who dominated most of Kyūshū.
snip
Towards the end of his life, Sōrin came into conflict with the Shimazu family, the only major daimyo family remaining in control of significant portions of Kyūshū. Along with the daimyo of the Ryūzōji clan, he appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi to aid in holding back the Shimazu, who were beginning to extend their influence over Ōtomo and Ryūzōji lands. Though at first unsuccessful in enlisting Hideyoshi's aid, eventually the Shimazu took up arms against the Ōtomo, defeated Sōrin in the Battle of Mimigawa and others, and in 1587, Hideyoshi began his Kyūshū Campaign, in which he overtook the entire island, with the help of the Ōtomo and other families which voluntarily entered his service.
Within roughly a year of his arrival,
Hideyoshi left Kyūshū, restoring the Ōtomo to their domains, taken from them by the Shimazu, and arranging a peace, with all three families officially subject to Hideyoshi and holding the domains, now officially Toyotomi lands, in trust. Ōtomo Sōrin died before this campaign was complete, and so it was his son, Ōtomo Yoshimune, who held the ancestral lands upon the defeat of the Shimazu.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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shoogunhyoo 朝鮮の将軍標 shogunhyo dolls from Korea





kideko from Beppu 別府の木でこ



- source : 茶々丸 -


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Jangseung - Korean Traditional Totem Pole



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A jangseung or village guardian is a Korean totem pole usually made of wood. Jangseungs were traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten away demons. They were also worshipped as village tutelary deities.
In the southern regions of Jeolla, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang, jangseungs are also referred to as beopsu or beoksu, a variation of boksa (복사/卜師), meaning a male shaman.

In the Jeolla region,
jangseungs are often made of stone bearing some resemblance to the dolhareubangs of Jeju Island.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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. Japanese Reference .


- deko, deku and other varieties are local names for head or kokeshi dolls.
. deko ningyoo デコ 人形　"head dolls" - deko yashiki デコ屋敷 . from Fukushima

. deko, deku, dekunobo - 木偶 all kinds of wooden dolls .


. kubi ningyoo 首人形 head dolls .
. . . . . kushi ningyoo 串人形 dolls on a stick


- - - #kideko #otomodollsoita - - - - -
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ichibun dolls Oita

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. kubi ningyoo 首人形 head dolls - Introduction .
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ichibun ningyoo 一文人形 head dolls with one letter

from Oita 大分県, Hamanoichi (Hama no Ichi)  浜の市

Hamanoichi is a town close to the Shinto shrine
Yusuhara Hachiman-gū 柞原八幡宮 Yusuhara Hachimangu.

There is a store called 宮喜屋 Miyakichi-Ya where the dolls are sold.

They come on a bamboo stick with a head made of clay. The front of the head is formed, but the back is flat. They all have light-red cheeks and a red line along the nose.
Children can play with them while putting on some paper robes.

They originated from the Hojo-E Shrine festival in September, 放生祭, where live animals are released. The dolls were sold together with the shikishi mochi しきし餅 rice cakes. During the Shrine festival, there were many fishermen to buy these things as omens of good luck.
But this custom has died out in the Taisho period.
After the second world war, they were revived by 佐藤良治 and his friends and by 1964 there were about 20 different types back to enjoy.
Now they are made at the shop 豊泉堂.




At the back of the head each doll has a letter of the Japanese IROHA alphabet, referring to its name.

い i （あねさん) elder sister
ろ ro （きつね） fox
はにほ ha ni ho （えぼし） Eboshi hat
へ he （大顔）big face
とちり to chi ri （かぶと）Kabuto helmet
ぬ nu （五右衛門）Goemon
る ru （さる）monkey
を o （巡査）police man
わ wa （牛若丸）Ushikwakamaru
かよた ka yo ta （鬼）Oni demon
れ re （大黒）Daikoku
そつ so tsu （五郎十郎）Goro Juro (from the 曽我廼家 Soganoya actors)
ね ne （おかみさん）housewife
な na （足軽）Ashigaru soldier



source :　茶々丸

宮喜屋商店（二宮隆一）：大分市浜の市1-2-19 - Miyakichi-Ya


. hoojoo-e 放生会 Hojo-E, Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals .


. IROHA 以呂波 - いろは Iroha, the Japanese ABC .



. kubi ningyoo 首人形 head dolls - Introduction .

. fûzoku ningyoo 風俗人形 dolls about manners and customs .

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柞原八幡宮 Yusuhara Hachimangu



CLICK for more photos !


- - - Deities in residence

Chuai tenno 仲哀天皇
Emperor Oojin 応神天皇 (Hachiman)
Empress Jingu 神功皇后


- - - Stamp book and stamp







大分市八幡町上八幡 / 987 KamiHachiman, Hachiman, Oita city

- HP of the shrine : oita-yusuhara.com -

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shikishi mochi, shikishimochi しきし餅 / 志きし餅 Shikishi rice cakes
rice cakes with red bean paste, in the form of little cushions.
The white ones contain koshi-an (soft red bean paste) and the green ones, with yomogi mugwort color, contain tsubu-an (thick red bean paste).






. mochi 餅 rice cakes - Introduction .

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- reference : www.asahi-net.or.jp -

- English reference -


- - - #ichibun #oitaichibundolls - - - - -
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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples .


. Tohoku after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011

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kites from Kyushu

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Kites from Kyushu　九州の凧　



西九州伊万里凧あげ大会 - Great Kite Meeting in Imari, Kyushu


. tako　凧 Kites of Japan - Introduction .

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- ABC - List of kites from the Prefectures

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. . . . . . . . . . Fukuoka Folk Art - 福岡県

Kitakyushu, Kita Kyushu 北九州 　

Kitakyushu is famous for its various types of kites which have to resist the strong winds of the season.


- source : www.asahi-net.or.jp


- quote -
Kyushu kite makers prepare for year of the dragon
A couple in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, plan to make 600 kites decorated with images of dragons ahead of the start of 2012, the year of the dragon in the oriental zodiac.
Yoshihiro and Hideko Takeuchi's Kite House Magoji in Kita-Kyushu's Tobata Ward will supply the kites to folk-craft stores across Japan and tourist attractions around the city.


Japanese kites decorated with images of dragons at the Kite House Magoji in Kita-Kyushu's Tobata Ward

Yoshihiro, the 68-year-old second-generation owner of the business, makes the frames while his wife Hideko, 63, paints the images. They receive orders from across Japan every year.
- source : Cool Japan Guide





magojidako, Magoji-dako 孫次凧 Magoji kite
The most common themes are the semi cicada, fugu pufferfish, Kappa water goblin and the uso bullfinch.
They were first made by Magoji san 孫次さん, and the production is now with his grandson, 義博 Magoji Yoshihiro.

孫次凧・製作者：Takeuchi Yoshihiro 竹内義博：北九州市戸畑区新地1-6-4


Kappa Kite　かっぱたこ
- source : www.acros.or.jp/r_culture



. usokae 鷽替えexchanging bullfinches .


- KAPPA - 河童 / 合羽　/ かっぱ /　カッパ - ABC-Index -


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Chikuzen bunbun-dako 筑前ブンブン凧 humming kite from Chikuzen

Made in the town of 直方 Nogata. They are rectangular, with paintings of famous people, like Kabuki actors and show kumadori 隅取り make-up. ブンブン凧 bunbundako



The first maker, Ishii Nihei 石井仁平 , improved the kites from the Suruga province (now Shizuoka prefecture), and the production is now in the hands of the third generation.
When the kite rises in the sky, it makes a humming sound, called "bunbun" in Japanese. The kites are made of fresh green bamboo and Japanese paper and come in many different sizes, from the size of a tobacco box to more than one meter. They can withstand very strong wind, making their special sounds as they dance in the storm. Some are painted with faces of famous Kabuki actors, others with traditional graphic motives.
福岡県直方市頓野2016-2


. Papermachee dolls and toys from Nogata 直方張子 .


Echizen bunbun tako 越前ブンブン凧 from Kita-Kyushu

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Hakata semi dako 博多せみ凧 kite like a cicada from Hakata
and
福岡県北九州市戸畑のセミ凧土鈴
Kita Kyushu Tobata Cicada Kite



semidako as motive for a clay bell　土鈴

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doojintako 道人凧 kites with Chinese motives

The name is the local dialect for toojin tako 唐人凧（とうじんたこ）.
They were first made by Magoji 孫次どうじん凧, with the top of dragon 龍道人凧 and the bottom of a tiger.
Now they are also made by Ikuno Yasuyuki 生野保幸 in his free time.
生野保幸：北九州市八幡西区木屋瀬3-6

tatsu doojindako 龍道人凧 kites with dragon motives
red flames are blowing from the mouth of a dragon


- quote -
小倉どうじん凧 Ogura Dojindako
from Ogura ward 北九州市小倉南区城野 in Kitakyushu.










小倉どうじん凧の起源は「小笠原（玲）文書」178「源忠直公年賦二」寛永十五年戌寅、「公43歳(1638年)」島原の乱に出陣する武将に、小倉藩の典医花房道順正信が島原地方で見てきた凧に、龍が波をけって空に昇る姿に雷と太鼓を描き加えて、戦勝祈願として武将に送ったのが始まりと伝えられている。
- source : www.kitakyushu-museum.jp



.Toojin tako, tojindako 上総唐人凧 Tojin kite with Chinese faces .
- Introduction -

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Yanagawadako 柳川凧 kites from Yanagawa town

made by Sakata Nobuyoshi 坂田信義, who also runs a restaurant.
He uses pure washi paper and bamboo and has seven different patterns (men).
- from left to right -


- source : www.asahi-net.or.jp

megaeshi men 目返し面 moving eyes
is the most typical one, with large eyes and moving pupils. When the kite swings in the sky, it is easy to follow the pupils, which are fixed in a special manner and can look kind of upside-down.

komori men 子守面 babysitting faces
They are much smaller that the mekaeshi faces and have bamboo stick of abuot 1 meter.
They are also called ororondako おろろん凧.
ororon is the local dialect to pacify a baby. In former times when mothers carried the babies on their back, they would stick the bamboo with the child so it has something to watch.

karagasa toojin から笠唐人 kite with Chinese motives
This is a very special kite incorporating various motives.
karagasa, karakasa から傘・denden daiko でんでん太鼓・mukai-tai 向い鯛・sensu 扇子・ sakedokkuri, tokkuri 酒徳利.
The umbrella, a twist drum, two auspicious sea breams facing each other, a folding fan and a sake flask.
These are all auspicious motives and this kite is flown on special auspicious days.
One explanation:
These symbols remind of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism 八吉祥文.

mukadedako 　むかで凧 kite like a centipede
Up to 20 kites are linked together in a long row (rendako 連凧 "kite train", stringed kites).

His other motives are
「えび尻（角凧にえびの尻尾のような尾がついている）」「奴さん」「とんび」「義経」




八吉祥財神宝幔彩壇 Ashtamangala. "eight Tibetan symbolic attributes"


source :　plaza.rakuten.co.jp/ajiatoan

The eight symbols are
法螺 Conch、法輪 Wheel、宝傘 Parasol、宝蓋 Victory Banner、蓮華 Lotus、宝瓶 Urn、金魚 Fish、吉祥紐 Knot

Ashtamangala - with explanations of these symbols
- source : wikipedia

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目返し面

more photos from Yanagawa town 水郷柳川
- source : cooljapanx.web.fc2.com - Hatada

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. . . . . . . . . . Nagasaki Folk Art 長崎県

Fukue town 福江市 - Goto Retto 五島列島 Goto island chain



baramondako, baramon tako バラモン凧 kite
Gotoo Baramon 五島バラモン凧 Goto Baramon kite

This type of kite has a long history at the Goto islands.
baramon in the local dialect means to be active and lively.
The paintings are of samurai in armour, facing a devil.
The main producer of these kites is 野原権太郎 Nohara Kentaro.





hinodezuru, hinode tsuru, hinodetsuru 日出鶴 kite in the morning sun with a crane
and
kite with a tsubaki camellia pattern
The crane as a symbol for long life and the sun of Japan - both auspicious symbols for the New Year kite flying.



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Hirado town 平戸　

Most kites are called yoochoo ようちょう Yocho.


oniyoozu 鬼洋蝶 kite with a demon face
oniyôcho, oniyoochoo

. Oni 鬼　Demon Amulets .

There is even a shochu shnaps with this label.




. - hyoozu no kami, Hyōzu 兵主神 Hyozu no Kami
- Deity of Wind and Weapons - .
. hyoosube, hyōsube 兵主部 / ひょうすべ Hyosube . from Saga, Kyushu



. kintoki yoochoo 金時凧　/ 金時ようちょう　kite with Kintoki .

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Ikinoshima, Iki no Shima 壱岐島 Iki Island


ondako 鬼凧 "demon kite"

Related to the Demon Legend of Iki Island.



Iki is full of legends associated with oni devils, from the Devil's Footprint in Makizaki Park and Tatsunoshima Island to the Devil's Tomb Cavern. The traditional craft of ondako makes a kite depicting a particular heroic battle.
The warriorDaijin Yuriwaka beheads an oni, who dies sinking his teeth into Yuriwaka's helmet.
source : ikishi.sakura.ne.jp

Yuriwaka Daijin 百合若大臣


Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Yuriwaka Daijin is a character in kōwakami, a form of musical dance-drama (similar to nō) that was popular in the late sixteenth century. His name may be translated as Young Lord Lily, and lilies decorate the series title border. After fighting in the war against the Mongols in the thirteenth century, Yuriwaka is stranded on an island and is unable to return home for years. When he comes home at last, he has been gone so long, and is so changed by his experiences, that no one recognizes him. His wife believes that he is still alive but is unaware of his return, and she is threatened by the villain Beppu because she has refused to marry him.

In the climactic scene shown here, Yuriwaka demonstrates his identity by stringing and drawing the great bow that only he, a renowned archer, is strong enough to use. He kills Beppu and its happily reunited with his faithful wife.
The inset landscape is framed with bowstrings, another reference to this episode.

As early as 1906, the writer, translator, and critic Tsubouchi Shōyō pointed out that the story of Yuriwaka is strikingly similar to the basic plot of Homer's Odyssey, . . .
Further research by various scholars has shown that the Yuriwaka story is not found in older Japanese sources but appeared suddenly in the late sixteenth century, just when Jesuit missionaries were most active in Japan (prior to the banning of Christianity in the 1630s).
Moreover, the name Yuri (Lily) is very unusual for a man, but it could well be a Japanese abbreviation of Ulysses. All in all, it seems extremely likely that this tale was inspired by one of the greatest classics in Western literature and was probably written by a sixteenth-century Japanese who had heard the story of The Odyssey form a visiting European.
Quoted from:
Utagawa Kuniyoshi: The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō
by Sarah E. Thompson, p. 36.
- source : woodblockprints.org

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Nagasaki hata 長崎ハタ Nagasaki Hata kite



quote
Hata is build at Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu.
It does not look like other Japanese traditional kite in shape. It is believed that this kite is imported from far-east Asian counties,such as China,Thailand and Indonesia.
Nagasaki was the only one harbour when Japan closed to foreign countries during Edo period(1603-1867).
It is fairly certain that Nagasaki Hata fighting kite is a derivation of the Indian Fighter. It bears a close resemblance to the classic Indian Fighter, differing only in the absence of the Indian support fin at the tail, and in having its two leading edges supported by guidline of string, while the Indian version has its leading edges unsupported. Nagasaki Hata is traditionally coloured red, white and blue, in the manner of the Dutch ensign.
This is an exceptionally manoeuvable kite capable of flying at amazing speeds with considerable directional control. Equipped with cutting devices such as porcelain glued to the line below the bridle be means of egg white, rice or other natural adhesives, it is a fearsome opponent in competition.




. byoobu 屏風 Byobu Folding Screens .

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kara kintoki, kara-kintoki から金時　
'Kintoki' is the name of a boy-hero who appears in Japanese old tale.



源頼光と坂田金時 Yorimitsu and Kintoki

. 金太郎 Kintaro "Golden Boy" .
. . . he became a loyal follower of Minamoto no Yorimitsu under the new name Sakata Kintoki 坂田金時 / 坂田公時.


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. . . . . . . . . . Oita Folk Art - 大分県

yokanbee よかんべえ Yakko kite

Yakko kites 奴凧　have been a favorite in the Edo period since more than 230 years.
They are also called Edo kites.
Some famous regions of Oita for these kites are　 Takeda 竹田, Usuki臼杵 and Bungo Takata 豊後高田. yokanbee is the local diaclec for these kites


source :　yonechan kite collection

made by 三郎福助 Saburo Fukusuke





ura yakko tako　裏奴凧　Yakko from the backside from Usuki臼杵
The Lord Inaba had seen similar kites in Edo and had his retainers make them here in Oita. When the kite begins to fly high, it looks like a manservant, slowly vanishing in the clouds. This kite was especially flown at the O-Bon お盆 rituals for the ancestors.


. Yakko Daruma 奴だるま .
yakko 奴
was the name of the lowest social position in the Edo society, the simple workers of a daimyo household.


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. tako　凧 Kites of Japan - Introduction .


- - - #kyushukites #kitesfromkyushu - - - - -
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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


. Tohoku after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011

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