tako kites from Shizuoka

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. Shizuoka Folk Art - 静岡県　 .
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Shizuoka no tako 静岡の凧　Kites from Shizuoka


. tako　凧 Kites of Japan .
- Introduction -

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Fukuroi 袋井

Fukuroi no marudako　袋井の丸凧 round kite from Fukuroi



With a painting of the 53 stations of the Tokaido.


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Hamamatsu tako 浜松凧 kite from Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu is famous for its rokkakudako　六角凧 Rokkaku hexagon-shaped kites.



Hamamatsu has a great kite festival with more than 2 million onlookers.
Its kites show a machijirushi. Machi means town and Jirushi means symbol. This type of kite is a kind of symbol of a town.

- quote -
Hamamatsu Festival
A spectacular festival of some 100 large kites flying over sand dunes.

More than 100 kites are flown in the sky over the Nakatajima Dunes, one of the three largest sand dunes in Japan, which overlooks the Enshunada Sea. Here you can see many large kites measuring 3.5 meters by 3.5 meters. Then to the sound of the trumpet, the fighting starts. Making the 5-mm thick hemp strings intertwine, the kite-fliers try to cut their opponents' strings by friction, which is very exciting to watch. The strings burn, giving off a scorched smell. You can try flying a kite yourself in the grounds adjoining the shuttle bus terminal. Don't miss this opportunity of experiencing the actual sensation of flying a kite high in the sky.

This festival dates back to the 16th Century when large kites were flown in celebration of the birth of a baby son to the Lord of Hamamatsu Castle. Even today, kites are flown at Hamamatsu when a baby boy is born, a custom known as hatsudako. On May 5th, a festive day to pray for boys' good health and a bright future, it is the custom in Japan to fly decorations called koinobori, which are carp-shaped streamers. Carp are known to swim up waterfalls and this powerful image of the carp overlaps with the image of advancing in one's career. In Hamamatsu City, koinobori are displayed in a grand style, with the carp streamers flying on wooden poles as tall as 10 meters.
- source : jnto.go.jp/eng -

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井川 Ikawa - a village located in Abe District

Ikawa no ogi tako 井川の扇凧 handfan kite from Ikawa






- More photos of local kites
- source : yahoo.co.jp/yonechan5088 -


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Mori village 周智郡森町 Mori

bukadako, buka tako ぶか凧 Buka fighting kite
Mori no bukadako, tako 森のぶか凧 Buka kite from Mori village

The village hero of Mori is . Mori no Ishimatsu 森の石松 - (? - 1860) .


carp going up a waterfall - to make a good career

From Sejiri in the the Terao district 瀬尻の寺尾地区, a region in the mountains with many slopes, so it needs a lot of skill to fly it. Made for the birth of a baby boy since the late Edo period. Some are more than 20 Tatami mats wide in size and the string can be up to 600 meters.
They go up with the sound of "buka buka　ぶかぶか" hence the name.
(Another theory says they were called buke tako　武家凧 kites of the samurai of the region.)
As a symbol for long life many are decorated with a crane and turtle (tsurukame 鶴や亀).



A rectangular kite for fighting festivals. It has two bridles and has no tail.
source - BUKA


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Ooikawa town 大井川町 Oikawa

Munadaka tako 宗高凧 kite from Munadaka village



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相良 Sagara

Sagaradako　相良凧　kite from Sagara town



Sagara kites were introduced in the early eighteen century. It is made for the Boy's festival on May 5 and comes in various patterns, even Daruma san.
This kite has two bridles and no tail and a kind of fighting kite.



source - SAGARA

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Surugadako, Suruga tako 駿河凧 kite from Suruga


Ushiwakamaru 牛若丸

This dates back to the local regent Imagawa Yoshimoto, who flew this kite over his Suruga castle.
. Imagawa Yoshimoto 今川義元 (1519 – 1560) .

Bboth sides of the kite have a branchia. This kite can be build from square paper sheet without any idle by cutting.
- source : reference -


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Toyooka village 豊岡村 Toyooka

Hirosedako, tako 広瀬凧 kite from Hirose store
Made by the kite store Hirose 広瀬タコヤ since 1892.
伊藤篤男 is now in the 3rd generation.
One sample of his collection is the

gunjindako 軍人凧 kite with a soldier
It evolved from kites for the Boy's festival with Samurai faces.



3代目の伊藤篤男(75)さんによれば、「伝統と言ってもなぁ、子供の頃からずっと見てきたことを続けてるんだよ。」と言う裏側には114年の歴史の重みを感じます。ここでは軍人凧をはじめ武者凧などさまざまな種類の凧を製作しています。広瀬凧と軍人凧、そして日露戦争で軍神第1号となった広瀬中佐との関係を聞くと、「よく言われるよ。広瀬製と書いてあるように、広瀬村の製作ということで、関係ないんだよ。」とのこと。凧の注文は、と問うと「子供が少なくなって注文も少なくなったよ。遠くから注文もあるけど、昔ほどはなぁ。」と寂しげ。
浜松の凧揚げもいいですが、やはり、初節句の磐田の空では磐田の凧へ発展を遂げた広瀬の凧を多く見たいものです。
- source : city.iwata.shizuoka.jp -

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Yaizu town 焼津市 Yaizu

Yaizu is a busy fishing port.


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

Yaizu sakana tako 焼津魚凧 fish kite
maguro tako まぐろ凧 Bonito kite


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遠州横須賀 Yokosuka district

The town is located at the foot of the Kakegawa Castle (掛川城 Kakegawa-jō), related to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Yokosukadako 横須賀凧 Kite from Yokosuka
Toward the end of the Edo period, the local lord supported the making of kites and had his craftsmen go as far as Nagasaki to learn about it. Now the craft has reclined and only one shop in town makes them, 柳瀬提灯店 Yanase Chochin-Ten, in the fourth generation, beside of making paper lanterns as the main business..


Tongari とんがり


They come in many forms:
とんがり tongari / べっかこう bekkakoo / やつ花 yatsubana / 巴（ともえ）tomoe / 庄助奴 Yakko names Shosuke
noshi のし gratulation paper / semi せみ cicada / tonbi とんび/ 鳶 Tombi kite / toogire (tookire) 頭ぎれ "without a head" / beka べか


bekkakoo べっかこう Bekkako
The eyes of are painted with silver color and have a rotating mechanism when the wind blows.
The tongue is sticking out.


yatsubana やつ花 "flower with six corners"



tomoe 巴（ともえ）Tomoe pattern



shoosuke yakko 庄助奴凧 Yakko names Shosuke


There is also a kite festival
「遠州横須賀凧揚げまつり」 Enshu Yokosuka Tako-age Matsuri

- Look at them all here:
- source : chigumi/yokosuka -
- images tba -


ashinagayakkodako, ashinaga yakko　足長奴凧 kite with a "long-legged Yakko"



This kite is a kind of Yakko and it has long legs which act as a stabilizer or tail for balance. "Ashi" means 'legs' , "Naga" means 'long' and "Yakko" means 'a servant' in ancient era. Many kinds of Yakko-dako are produced in in Shizuoka prefecture.
- source - ASHINAGAYAKKO


. yakkodako, yakko tako 奴凧 kite with a Yakko .
- Introduction -

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吉田 Yoshida

Sumiyoshidako 住吉凧 kites from Yoshida - Sumiyoshi


Nasu no Yoichi　那須与一 (c. 1169 – c. 1232) Samurai


SUMIYOSHI-dako has been handed down over 500 years ago. They are very colorful and have patterns of historical figures on a simple square.
This kite was used as a signal in war time.

- Look at them all here:
source - SUMIYOSHI

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- - - - - further reference - - - - -

- source : yahoo.co.jp/yonechan5088 -

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. gangu 玩具　伝説, omochcha おもちゃ 　toy, toys and legends .
- Introduction -


. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

- - - #kitesshizuoka #shizuokakites - - - - -
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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan － List .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples .


. Tohoku after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011

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Kite with Chinese faces Tojindako

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .
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toojindako, toojin tako 唐人凧 kite with Chinese face

toojin 唐人 Karabito, was used for Chinese and Korean people during the Edo period.

. wadako 和凧 Japanese Kites .
- Introduction -

. JAPANESE TRADITIONAL KITES - List .
AIZU-TOJIN
This kite has a peculiar shape comparing with other kites which were born in Fukushima prefecture, Northern part of Honshu island. It is believed that the origin of this kite comes from Goto, Iki, Nagasaki located in southern part of Japan. After painting, the sail paper is painted with tan for strengthening its sail. This method is very peculiar in Japan.
The design of this kite means "Judge of Hell," the Devil in the heaven.


Tojindako as souvenir of sorts . . .



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- ABC - List of Tojindako Kites from the Prefectures

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. . . . . . . . . . Chiba 千葉県

Futtsu town 富津市 Futsu

Kazusa Toojin tako 上総唐人凧 kite with Chinese face
karabito-dako "Korean person Kite", Kazusa karabitodako



This kite has the form of the hairstyle of Koreans 高麗人の弁髪に形どった.
The image is painted in black only, and has a family crest at its top. Therefore they are also called 定紋凧.
At the long narrow part is a calligraphy with auspicious words 寿 or 滝龍 or 竹龍.
Small ones are only about 1 meter long. Longer ones with the size of a human being have a special device to make a terrible sound when climbing in the sky.


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. . . . . . . . . . Fukuoka 福岡県

. 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）.


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. . . . . . . . . . Fukushima 福島県

Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松

Aizu toojin tako - Aizu Tojin Dako 会津唐人凧 Aizu Tojin - Chinese face kites

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The kite (tako in Japanese) is so popular in Japan that there are festivals and popular celebrations related to kite flying and even kite museums. Painted in bright colors, usually with the well-known ukiyo-e style, the Japanese kites are featuring famous warriors, kabuki actors, mythological characters, tortoises, cranes, carps, insects, birds and geometric forms.


CLICK for more photos !

Some provinces have developed their own unique kite designs, like the ones from this photo, specific to Aizu. These kites, called Tojin, are featuring a scary face, with a large tongue sticking out … to scare away bad spirits …
- source : muza-chan.net/japan -


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AIZU TOJIN KITE
This べろくん出し　“Berokun dashi” means “sticking out the tongue” in Aizu.
It is said that during the Boshin War and the siege of Tsuruga Castle, kites were used as a way to encourage and lift the morale of the people holding the castle.
- source : welcome-fukushima.com -


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Aizu Chinese and Korean people kite
There is not yet established theory why Chinese and Korean people kite which is frequent in Kyushu came to the Aizu district.
Aizu Tsuruga-jo Castle was surrounded by the Imperial army, and, at the time of Boshin War, feudal lord flies Chinese and Korean people kite taking kara berokundashi nickname in castle when war situation became disadvantageous, and it is said that it raised the determination of the armed forces of friends. Strange look that glares, and produced tongue is great. Figures of ogre who original, is described in bright full color under in direct hit and the crown of a helmet of armor more are not seen in other kites. The powerful look is valued high as talisman against evil and is popular as interior. "Aizu Chinese and Korean people kite kiteflying meet" is held every year recently in autumn.
- source : pref.fukushima.lg.jp -


- quote -
- - 唐人凧の由来
- - 鶴ヶ城にあがった唐人凧 Tojindako from castle Tsurugajo

Fighting at Aizu Tsurugajo Castle

明治元年（1868年）8月、会津の鶴ヶ城（つるがじょう）は、城の東側にある小田山（おだやま）から砲弾（ほうだん）が雨あられのようにうちこまれ、そのたびに城内各折から黒煙（こくえん）が上がりました。砲弾がうち込まれるばかりでなく、城は十重（とえ）、二十重（はたえ）に囲まれて、アリのはい出るすきまもなかったのです。
籠城（ろうじょう）していた会津軍もけが人が続出（ぞくしゅつ）し、決死の部隊が城外に出撃（しゅつげき）して、戦いをいどみましたが、大勢（たいせい）をくつがえすまでにはいたらず、孤立無援（こりつむえん）の絶望（ぜつばう）的な籠城戦（ろうじょうせん）が果てしもなく続くといった毎日でした。
そんなある日、鶴ヶ城の本丸から、するすると凧があがりました。 凧は砲煙（ほうえん）をかいくぐって大空高く舞い上がり西軍を唖然（あぜん）とさせるとともに、城内の将兵の士気を高めるために籠城中の少年があげたのです。その時の凧が会津唐人凧で、あげた少年は、藩校（はんこう）日新館（にっしんかん）生徒の池上四郎（いけがみしろう、後の大阪市長）であったと伝えられています。
- - 唐人凧の作り方
- source : aizukanko.com/kk-


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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. Reference 唐人凧 .

. gangu 玩具　伝説, omochcha おもちゃ 　toy, toys and legends .
- Introduction -


. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

- - - #tojindako #toojintako #kitechineseface - - -
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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


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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


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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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