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Kite flying is an ancient tradition in Japan. Kites as well
as many other cultural phenomena were introduced to Japan
from China, but with times they acquired unique national traits.
In Japanese kites are called "ika" (cuttlefish)
or "tako" (octopus) because of their resemblance
to cephalopods.
The function of kites changed through the history. Originally
kite flying was a part of religious ceremonies - a sort of
message to gods. The Japanese believed that with the help
of kites they could ask the gods for their protecting from
evil, all kinds of misfortunes and disasters, for rich harvest,
prosperity and happiness of relatives and friends. Kites also
served as a thank-offering to gods. There are historical documents,
sustaining the fact that kites were used in military operations:
in reconnaissance, as signals and even as carriers. In the
Middle Ages kite flying was an entertainment of the rich.
With time it became accessible for common people as well and
gained wide popularity.
Nowadays kites are inseparable part of Japanese culture -
many traditional festivals cannot do without colorful kites
soaring in the sky. In Japan even the battles of kites have
become traditional event.
There are five kite museums in Japan: Showamachi Huge Kite
Museum, Shirone Ginat Kite Museum, Yokaichi Kite Museum, Ikazaki
Kite Museum and Tokyo Kite Museum. The Museum in Tokyo ("TAKO-NO-HAKUBUTSUKAN"
in Japanese) was founded on November 15, 1977 by Shingo Modegi,
the owner of the famous restaurant for western cuisine Taimeiken.
The museum occupies the entire fifth floor of the building
Shingo Modegi owned in the heart of the city, the district
that is considered to be the most expensive real estate in
the world.
The museum exhibits mainly typical Japanese kites from all
over the country, including a number of antiques and representative
kites by the most prominent contemporary kite makers, but
you will find there also kites from China and other Asian
countries. The frames of traditional Japanese kites (edo nishiki-e
dako) were usually made from bamboo and the sails from special
material - washi, handmade paper from mulberry tree, that
is lightweight and at the same time strong enough not to be
torn by wind.
Japanese kites are characterized by colorful paintings and
subject images. The kite illustrations could be anything:
Kabuki actors, samurai warriors, quaint patterns, flowers,
fantastic creatures or funny animals. The kites vary in sizes:
from stamp-sized to more than 2 meters length. On the display
there are not only flat kites, but three-dimensional ones
as well - the result of painstaking labor of kite makers striving
to create completely new kites.
3000 square feet of exhibit space is no longer enough to accommodate
extensive collection of 4,000 exhibits, although the kites
occupy not only all the walls and several glass display cases,
but the entire ceiling area as well. That's why the exhibition
is changed every three month to show all the kites from Modeji
collection and the exhibits gifted to the museum.
There is an elevated platform covered with tatami mats and
a charcoal brazier for tea ceremony and also for kite making
demonstrations, which are held regularly. In January, the
traditional kite season in Japan, outstanding kite masters
daily give lessons and share the experience.
The museum has a special section, devoted to the late, last
hand-drawing Edo kite artist, Teizo Hashimoto. The wax figure
represents the master drawing pictures on a kite. His drawing
and kites on the wall help to get some insight into his creative
work.
If after visiting the museum you feel inspired to create your
own kite you can attend special "kite-making class"
that is free (participants only have to pay for materials),
where within 30 minuses you'll be taught how to make a simple
"ray kite" (lozenge-shaped with a long tail).
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