HAGOITA a Japanese Art Form

[watsonmil]

Dear Members,

 

A short article on an Art Form that has not been addressed on the NMB previously, ... but one that has significant meaning to the Japanese.

On Dec. 17 - 19th at the end of each year, the Hagoita ( battledore ) fair is held at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Each year thousands of people

come to shop for them. Hagoita are used as an effigy to rid people of misfortune and disease. In Japan, old Hagoitas are taken to shrines and burned. This is called Otakiage.

 

The Hagoita is a rectangular wooden paddle used to play the game called Hanetsuki. It is similar to a badminton game but without the net.

Although the game is rarely played anymore, ... it was usually a game played by girls on New Years Day. The shuttlecock was batted back and forth using the back of the paddle. Each time a participant missed and allowed the shuttlecock to strike the ground, a stripe of black ink was drawn on the participants face, and the game continued until one participant's face was completely covered in black ink.

 

The Hagoita were traditionally decorated on one side with three dimensional representations of Kabuki Actors, Sumo Wrestlers, and often Geisha. The backside of the paddles are usually decorated with a very simple painting of foliage, birds, or scenery.

 

The shuttlecock is a small ball that is the seed of the Mukuroji tree ( Mukuroji means children's health ) with feathers attached to the seed. This is why many people buy or give the Hagoita and shuttlecock as gifts and thus pray for the health of their children.

 

It is interesting that the market began around 350 years ago. The current market attracts around 300,000 people a year and only Hagoita are sold from approximately 50 stalls.

 

The examples I picture are from my collection of Japanese Art, and were purchased approximately 30 years ago at an antiques and collectibles fair. By the appearance of the boxes I should think they are of 1950 - 60's vintage. They are both beautifully rendered in three dimension using various textiles,sequins, wood and paper. The taller of the two measures 18 1/2 inches, while the smaller measures 15 1/2 inches. I would highly recommend watching for these as they are very attractive hanging on the wall in any room.

 

Any errors in this short article are mine alone.

 

... Ron Watson

[Ken-Hawaii]

Interesting, Ron! My wife & I have been given three of these Hagoita, but never were quite sure what we had gotten:

 

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2484/img2158tf.jpg

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Ken

[watsonmil]

Dear Ken,

Glad you found some answers, .... what might surprise you is that brand new Hagoita can vary in price from a few dollars to over $1000.00 depending on the quality !

... Ron Watson

[Ken-Hawaii]

How does one tell, Ron? Are there specific features to look for?

 

Ken

[watsonmil]

Dear Ken,

One of the major dealers in Hagoita is : The Minamikawa Doll Factory in Tokyo. I did a Google search and came up with this link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Kabuki-Japa ... 2565fd84f9

If this link does not work just go to eBay and search item number : 160624903417 . Be sure to scroll down the entire page to see the workers actually making Hagoita. These people seem to be among the premier makers of modern Hagoita. In the off season they use eBay to reach out to the entire world for sales.

 

It seems to be the quality, and how elaborate the work is that gives modern Hagoita their value.

... Ron Watson

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, we learn something every day on this site. They are beautiful! I like the bit about the black stripes. :lol: Very interesting and many thanks for posting, Ron.

[watsonmil]

Dear All,

I should have mentioned this before, ... but better late than never. In order to preserve your Hagoita, ... it is best to wrap the entire paddle with a sheet of clear plastic wrap ( suran wrap ) folding the overlap to the back side of the paddle. This will protect the paddle from dust, smoke and other air-borne pollutants. I also placed a tiny ring screw about 1 inch from the top corner or the paddles and this allows you to hang the paddles from tiny nails for a more pleasing display.

 

... Ron Watson