Otedama are fabric bags filled with red azuki beans, kernels of rice, or plastic pellet which one plays with juggling, throwing and catching several simultaneously while singing a traditional ditty. The names of the game, pellets used to fill the bags, shape of the bags, and the ways they are played with vary from region to region.
The origins of otedama are said to go back to a game played by nomads living near the Black Sea around 1200 B.C. which spread all over the world via the Silk Road. In Japan, it has been passed down from mothers to their daughters from about 1,200 years ago, but since around 1970, it has not been so commonly played. Otedama was most popular among young girls in post-World War II Japan. The bean bags, called ojami, were sewn together from strips of cloth and contained small azuki beans. During war times, parents could smuggle extra food to their hungry children inside them.
Unfortunately, Otedama is dying out today. The songs that accompanied them have been all but forgotten, and most of the next generation of children have never heard of such a game. Nowadays, otedama are still sold, but they seem to be more for decoration than for play.
Showing posts with label Japanese toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese toys. Show all posts
Takeuma
Takeuma are stilts made by lengths of bamboo outfitted with special wooden footrests which measures about one to two meters long. Children use them as toys by climbing on them as on a horse(uma), grasping the top part of the bamboo poles and walking around .In the past, children would cut leafy bamboo to an appropriate length, tie a string to the roots in place of reins and play by mounting this as if it were a horse. After some modifications, this became takeuma
The origin of the word takeuma (lit., “bamboo horse”) comes from an ancient Chinese game in which people rode bamboo contrivances made to use like horses. It is said that takeuma as we know them today became widespread from the Edo period onwards.
Today, takeuma made from plastic are the norm. Playing with takeuma is said to be useful in fostering balance, and it is a common fixture of play equipment, along with unicycles, at elementary schools and children’s recreation centers. There are some Japanese elementary schools that invite grandparents, parents, and children to make their own takeuma; students help one another in making their stilts in class, and hold competitions in which footraces and relay races are all done on stilts.
It takes some skill and experience to know how to secure the footrests such that they may bear the weight of a rider as large as an adult. Takeuma are still used in various holiday celebrations. In addition, as an event for the summer solstice in Northern Europe, there is a game with a wooden horse similar to takeuma.
The origin of the word takeuma (lit., “bamboo horse”) comes from an ancient Chinese game in which people rode bamboo contrivances made to use like horses. It is said that takeuma as we know them today became widespread from the Edo period onwards.
Today, takeuma made from plastic are the norm. Playing with takeuma is said to be useful in fostering balance, and it is a common fixture of play equipment, along with unicycles, at elementary schools and children’s recreation centers. There are some Japanese elementary schools that invite grandparents, parents, and children to make their own takeuma; students help one another in making their stilts in class, and hold competitions in which footraces and relay races are all done on stilts.
It takes some skill and experience to know how to secure the footrests such that they may bear the weight of a rider as large as an adult. Takeuma are still used in various holiday celebrations. In addition, as an event for the summer solstice in Northern Europe, there is a game with a wooden horse similar to takeuma.
Kendama
Playing with kendama (lit., “sword and ball”) begins by swinging the ball onto the small, medium, or large “plate (cup),” or making the ball, where it has a hole on one side, fall on the tip of a shaft at one end, called the “sword” (ken). The first challenge is to get the ball to land on the large plate, then on the medium and small plates. The next trick is to make the ball fall on the shaft. This covers the basic moves of the game. After that, everything involves combining the different moves. Many people create original moves, and there are said to be over 1,000 tricks in all.
The roots of kendama are said to be found in the French bilboqueta, a game played in Europe during the nineteenth century. In France, it was played by aristocrats, while in England, it was a game for girls.
Kendama is said to have reached Japan from China via Nagasaki during the Edo period (1603-1867). At the time, it was comprised of a straight stick and a ball. Kendama as we know it today, with three plates and a sword tip, was invented in Hiroshima during the Taisho period (1912-1926). It was an instant hit among children, and was commonly played until the early Showa period (1926-1989).
To promote the spread of kendama as a sport, the NPO Japan Kendama Association founded in 1975 created a standard kendama for competition (kendama with approval stickers are used at competitions), and a rulebook. Today, competitions and grade (kyu, dan) certification meets take place around the country. Skill is ranked in ten kyu (rising from 10 to 1) and six dan (rising from 1 to 6).
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan is also focusing on games as a way to improve children’s physical strength. Since kendama is recognized as a game that requires balance and helps exercise the entire body, including the back and knees, “caravans” comprised of people well-versed in kendama are set to tour elementary schools starting in the 2007 school year
The roots of kendama are said to be found in the French bilboqueta, a game played in Europe during the nineteenth century. In France, it was played by aristocrats, while in England, it was a game for girls.
Kendama is said to have reached Japan from China via Nagasaki during the Edo period (1603-1867). At the time, it was comprised of a straight stick and a ball. Kendama as we know it today, with three plates and a sword tip, was invented in Hiroshima during the Taisho period (1912-1926). It was an instant hit among children, and was commonly played until the early Showa period (1926-1989).
To promote the spread of kendama as a sport, the NPO Japan Kendama Association founded in 1975 created a standard kendama for competition (kendama with approval stickers are used at competitions), and a rulebook. Today, competitions and grade (kyu, dan) certification meets take place around the country. Skill is ranked in ten kyu (rising from 10 to 1) and six dan (rising from 1 to 6).
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan is also focusing on games as a way to improve children’s physical strength. Since kendama is recognized as a game that requires balance and helps exercise the entire body, including the back and knees, “caravans” comprised of people well-versed in kendama are set to tour elementary schools starting in the 2007 school year
Modern versions of traditional toys
Some traditional toys have been revamped by toy manufacturers to appeal to children of today. For example, there is Beyblade, which is a spinning top modeled on the beigoma, as well as DIGI-KEN (dejiken), a digitalized version of kendama, with flashing lights and sounds.
What they all have in common is the ease with which one is able to acquire the skills to enjoy them, compared to traditional toys. With Beyblade, one attaches the top to a special device that anyone can spin. Another characteristic is that many of these games are tie-ins with manga, video games, and anime. Beyblade, which went on the market in 1999, became popular after characters in manga played with it and its anime version was aired on television. Its popularity rose to the extent that national competitions were held, and in the first half of the fiscal year 2001, over 15 million were sold.
The popularity of such modern versions of traditional toys is fleeting, and both Beyblade and DIGI-KEN are no longer on the market. However, the popularity of Beyblade led to renewed interest in beigoma, and an increase in beigoma playing population. These modern versions of traditional toys, which provided people a shortcut to enjoyment, in fact led to a renewed interest in traditional toys that offer the pleasure to be gained when you take time to polish your skill.
What they all have in common is the ease with which one is able to acquire the skills to enjoy them, compared to traditional toys. With Beyblade, one attaches the top to a special device that anyone can spin. Another characteristic is that many of these games are tie-ins with manga, video games, and anime. Beyblade, which went on the market in 1999, became popular after characters in manga played with it and its anime version was aired on television. Its popularity rose to the extent that national competitions were held, and in the first half of the fiscal year 2001, over 15 million were sold.
The popularity of such modern versions of traditional toys is fleeting, and both Beyblade and DIGI-KEN are no longer on the market. However, the popularity of Beyblade led to renewed interest in beigoma, and an increase in beigoma playing population. These modern versions of traditional toys, which provided people a shortcut to enjoyment, in fact led to a renewed interest in traditional toys that offer the pleasure to be gained when you take time to polish your skill.
Koma (Tops)
There are many types of koma—those spun with the fingers (hinerigoma), with the palms of the hands (temomigoma), by pulling a cord (itohikigoma), by throwing the top using a cord wrapped around it (nagegoma), and others. The kind often introduced as a traditional toy is the “throw top” (nagegoma). Some are made of wood, and some of cast metal (beigoma).
Beigoma are steel tops that have no stem. They are spun by throwing with a string about sixty centimeters long wound around the base. One game is played by spreading a sheet over the bottom of a barrel and pressing it down in the middle to create a playing surface, on which two players spin their respective tops until one flicks the other off the surface. It is difficult to wind the string tightly since the top has no stem, and spinning the beigoma requires considerable skill.
It is said that koma came to Japan from China, but the details are unknown. Koma were already popular among the common people in the Kamakura period (1192-1333), but it was during the Edo period that they flourished. The best known were the beigoma made by filling whelk shells with sand or lead and then sealed with wax. This was the beginning of the beigoma. The production of beigoma we now know, made by pouring steel into moulds, started in the late Meiji to mid-Taisho periods. Beigoma etched with the names of professional baseball players and sumo wrestlers were very popular among children in the shitamachi (“low city”) area of Tokyo from the 1920s to the early 1930s. Since steel was collected during World War II for the war effort, beigoma during that time were made of china or glass instead.
After World War II, from 1945 to the early 1960s, beigoma was the most common game among children. There were many factories manufacturing beigoma, but today, there is only one left in Kawaguchi, Saitama prefecture. Still, there are many beigoma fans, and every week, competitions, both large and small, take place in parks and various other locations
Later in the 17th century, Hakata koma was made with wooden base and an inserted iron core as a spindle. Different from other top toys, Hakata koma spins very well with very little deflection and it is steady enough to be picked up on your palm and keep moving. Making use of these features, acrobatics of Hakata koma performance was developed and later spread throughout the country.
The most basic part about making them is choosing the wood. If the wood is chosen wrongly, the grain and the density are wrong. Tops are not made from expensive wood, they are made from scrub. Oak, cherry, camellia, and other trees like that are often used to make those tops. The performance of the top depends on the type of wood used. For example, in order for the top to spin well, a denser wood is needed.
Performers and acrobatics usually make their own tops. This is because different hands are of different shapes and sizes. A perfect top is needed to fit the size and shape of their hands. It is natural that a performer would want just the right top so that they can do their best when performing.
Beigoma are steel tops that have no stem. They are spun by throwing with a string about sixty centimeters long wound around the base. One game is played by spreading a sheet over the bottom of a barrel and pressing it down in the middle to create a playing surface, on which two players spin their respective tops until one flicks the other off the surface. It is difficult to wind the string tightly since the top has no stem, and spinning the beigoma requires considerable skill.
It is said that koma came to Japan from China, but the details are unknown. Koma were already popular among the common people in the Kamakura period (1192-1333), but it was during the Edo period that they flourished. The best known were the beigoma made by filling whelk shells with sand or lead and then sealed with wax. This was the beginning of the beigoma. The production of beigoma we now know, made by pouring steel into moulds, started in the late Meiji to mid-Taisho periods. Beigoma etched with the names of professional baseball players and sumo wrestlers were very popular among children in the shitamachi (“low city”) area of Tokyo from the 1920s to the early 1930s. Since steel was collected during World War II for the war effort, beigoma during that time were made of china or glass instead.
After World War II, from 1945 to the early 1960s, beigoma was the most common game among children. There were many factories manufacturing beigoma, but today, there is only one left in Kawaguchi, Saitama prefecture. Still, there are many beigoma fans, and every week, competitions, both large and small, take place in parks and various other locations
Later in the 17th century, Hakata koma was made with wooden base and an inserted iron core as a spindle. Different from other top toys, Hakata koma spins very well with very little deflection and it is steady enough to be picked up on your palm and keep moving. Making use of these features, acrobatics of Hakata koma performance was developed and later spread throughout the country.
The most basic part about making them is choosing the wood. If the wood is chosen wrongly, the grain and the density are wrong. Tops are not made from expensive wood, they are made from scrub. Oak, cherry, camellia, and other trees like that are often used to make those tops. The performance of the top depends on the type of wood used. For example, in order for the top to spin well, a denser wood is needed.
Performers and acrobatics usually make their own tops. This is because different hands are of different shapes and sizes. A perfect top is needed to fit the size and shape of their hands. It is natural that a performer would want just the right top so that they can do their best when performing.
Fuku Warai
New Year in Japan would not be complete without the game of fuku warai, which is a bit like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.
In Fuku Warai the blindfolded player is not putting a tail to an animal but eyes, nose, mouth and ears to a human face. The strange results you might get while enjoying the games with people you like will probably lead to big laughter. And that is what the game is all about: The word Fuku Warai could be translated as "Laughing for Good Luck" - again laughter is something like a good charm for good fortune.
This game became popular late in the Edo period (1603-1868), and people began playing it as a New Year's game during the Taisho era (1912-1926). Until around 1960, people, mostly children, played this game at home.
Originally, only one style of face was used in this game: the comical, round face of a woman. But over the years, other faces, reflecting the times in which they were created, came into use as well: popular actors, comic-book heroes, and so on.
Here is a typical way to play fuku warai with friends when you have the actual game set. You can also make one by hand out of paper.
· First, the players spread out a piece of paper with the outline of a face on it.
· Then one player is blindfolded with a handkerchief or other cloth.
· The blindfolded player tries to place cutouts of the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose on the face, while the other players shout instructions--for example, "Higher!" "To the left!" "There!"
· After the player places the pieces, the blindfold is removed so the player can view his or her handiwork.
Most of the time, the face comes out looking ridiculous, and the players could not keep from laughing. It is also fun to see how the faces created by different players turn out.
Although the game had been played for centuries, it lacks popularity nowadays - probably because of the possibilities to have a big laugh watching TV. But now, you can play Fuku Warai on the internet!
In Fuku Warai the blindfolded player is not putting a tail to an animal but eyes, nose, mouth and ears to a human face. The strange results you might get while enjoying the games with people you like will probably lead to big laughter. And that is what the game is all about: The word Fuku Warai could be translated as "Laughing for Good Luck" - again laughter is something like a good charm for good fortune.
This game became popular late in the Edo period (1603-1868), and people began playing it as a New Year's game during the Taisho era (1912-1926). Until around 1960, people, mostly children, played this game at home.
Originally, only one style of face was used in this game: the comical, round face of a woman. But over the years, other faces, reflecting the times in which they were created, came into use as well: popular actors, comic-book heroes, and so on.
Here is a typical way to play fuku warai with friends when you have the actual game set. You can also make one by hand out of paper.
· First, the players spread out a piece of paper with the outline of a face on it.
· Then one player is blindfolded with a handkerchief or other cloth.
· The blindfolded player tries to place cutouts of the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose on the face, while the other players shout instructions--for example, "Higher!" "To the left!" "There!"
· After the player places the pieces, the blindfold is removed so the player can view his or her handiwork.
Most of the time, the face comes out looking ridiculous, and the players could not keep from laughing. It is also fun to see how the faces created by different players turn out.
Although the game had been played for centuries, it lacks popularity nowadays - probably because of the possibilities to have a big laugh watching TV. But now, you can play Fuku Warai on the internet!
Japanese traditional toys: Ningyo
Japanese traditional dolls are known by the name ningyō in Japan, which literally means human shape.
There are various types of Japanese dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and are still made today, for household shrines, for formal gift-giving, or for festival celebrations such as Hinamatsuri, the doll festival, or Kodomo no Hi Children's Day. Some are manufactured as a local craft, to be purchased by pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip.
They may be a continuity in the making of the Dogu, humanoid figures, by the ancient Jomon culture in Japan (8000-200 BC) and in the Haniwa funerary figures of the subsequent Kofun culture (around 300-600 AD). Expert Alan Pate notes that temple records refer to the making of a grass doll to be blessed and thrown into the river at Ise Shrine in 3 BC; the custom was probably even more ancient, but it is at the root of the modern doll festival or Hinamatsuri.
In the early eleventh century, around the peak of the Heian Period, several types of dolls had already been defined, as known from Lady Murasaki's novel The Tale of Genji. Girls played with dolls and doll houses; women made protective dolls for their children or grandchildren; dolls were used in religious ceremonies, taking on the sins of a person whom they had touched. Okiagari-koboshi are roly-poly toys made from papier-mache, dating back to at least the 14th-century. They are good-luck charms and symbols of perseverance and resilience.
Probably the first professional dollmakers were temple sculptors, who used their skill to make painted wooden images of children (Saga dolls). The possibilities of this art form, using carved wood or wood composition, a shining white "skin" lacquer called gofun made from ground oystershell and glue, and textiles, were vast.
During the Edo Period (about 1603-1867), when Japan was closed to most trade, there developed both fine dollmakers and a market of wealthy individuals who would pay for the most beautiful doll sets for display in their homes or as valuable gifts. Sets of dolls came to include larger and more elaborate figures, and more of them. The competitive trade was eventually regulated by government, meaning that doll makers could be arrested or banished for breaking laws on materials and height.
Hina Dolls
Hina dolls are the dolls for Hinamatsuri, the doll festival on March 3. They can be made of many materials but the classic hina doll has a pyramidal body of elaborate, many-layered textiles stuffed with straw and/or wood blocks, carved wood hands (and in some cases feet) covered with gofun, and a head of carved wood or molded wood compo covered with gofun, with set-in glass eyes (though before about 1850 the eyes were carved into the gofun and painted) and human or silk hair. A full set comprises at least 15 dolls, representing specific characters, with many accessories (dogu), though the basic set is a male-female pair, often referred to as the Emperor and Empress.
Musha Dolls
Musha or warrior dolls are usually made of materials similar to the hina dolls, but the construction is often more complicated, since the dolls represent men (or women) seated on camp chairs, standing, or riding horses. Armor, helmets, and weapons are made of lacquered paper, often with metal accents. There is no specified "set" of such dolls; subjects include Emperor Jimmu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his generals and tea-master, and fairy-tale figures such as Momotarō the Peach Boy or Kintarō the Golden Boy.
Gosha
Gosho dolls show fat, cute babies in a simplified form. The basic gosho is an almost-naked sitting boy, carved all in one piece, with very white skin, though gosho with elaborate clothing, hairstyle, and accessories, female as well as male, became popular as well. They developed as a gifts associated with the Imperial court, and "gosho" could be translated "palace" or "court."
Daruma dolls
Kokeshi dolls
Kokeshi dolls have been made for 150 years, and are from Northern Honshū, the main island of Japan. They were originally made as toys for children of farmers. They have no arms or legs, but a large head and cylindrical body, representing little girls. From a simple toy, it has now become a famous Japanese craft, and now an established souvenir for tourists.
Ichimatsu dolls
Ichimatsu dolls represent little girls or boys, correctly proportioned and usually with flesh-colored skin and glass eyes. The original Ichimatsu were named after an 18th-century Kabuki actor, and must have represented an adult man, but since the late 19th century the term has applied to child dolls, usually made to hold in the arms, dress, and pose (either with elaborately made joints or with floppy cloth upper arms and thighs). Baby boy dolls with mischievous expressions were most popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, but in 1927 thefriendship doll exchange involved the creation of 58 32" dolls representing little girls, to be sent as a gift from Japan to the United States, and the aesthetic of these dolls influenced dollmakers to emulate this type of a solemn, gentle-looking little girl in elaborate kimono.
There are various types of Japanese dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and are still made today, for household shrines, for formal gift-giving, or for festival celebrations such as Hinamatsuri, the doll festival, or Kodomo no Hi Children's Day. Some are manufactured as a local craft, to be purchased by pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip.
They may be a continuity in the making of the Dogu, humanoid figures, by the ancient Jomon culture in Japan (8000-200 BC) and in the Haniwa funerary figures of the subsequent Kofun culture (around 300-600 AD). Expert Alan Pate notes that temple records refer to the making of a grass doll to be blessed and thrown into the river at Ise Shrine in 3 BC; the custom was probably even more ancient, but it is at the root of the modern doll festival or Hinamatsuri.
In the early eleventh century, around the peak of the Heian Period, several types of dolls had already been defined, as known from Lady Murasaki's novel The Tale of Genji. Girls played with dolls and doll houses; women made protective dolls for their children or grandchildren; dolls were used in religious ceremonies, taking on the sins of a person whom they had touched. Okiagari-koboshi are roly-poly toys made from papier-mache, dating back to at least the 14th-century. They are good-luck charms and symbols of perseverance and resilience.
Probably the first professional dollmakers were temple sculptors, who used their skill to make painted wooden images of children (Saga dolls). The possibilities of this art form, using carved wood or wood composition, a shining white "skin" lacquer called gofun made from ground oystershell and glue, and textiles, were vast.
During the Edo Period (about 1603-1867), when Japan was closed to most trade, there developed both fine dollmakers and a market of wealthy individuals who would pay for the most beautiful doll sets for display in their homes or as valuable gifts. Sets of dolls came to include larger and more elaborate figures, and more of them. The competitive trade was eventually regulated by government, meaning that doll makers could be arrested or banished for breaking laws on materials and height.
Hina Dolls
Hina dolls are the dolls for Hinamatsuri, the doll festival on March 3. They can be made of many materials but the classic hina doll has a pyramidal body of elaborate, many-layered textiles stuffed with straw and/or wood blocks, carved wood hands (and in some cases feet) covered with gofun, and a head of carved wood or molded wood compo covered with gofun, with set-in glass eyes (though before about 1850 the eyes were carved into the gofun and painted) and human or silk hair. A full set comprises at least 15 dolls, representing specific characters, with many accessories (dogu), though the basic set is a male-female pair, often referred to as the Emperor and Empress.
Musha Dolls
Musha or warrior dolls are usually made of materials similar to the hina dolls, but the construction is often more complicated, since the dolls represent men (or women) seated on camp chairs, standing, or riding horses. Armor, helmets, and weapons are made of lacquered paper, often with metal accents. There is no specified "set" of such dolls; subjects include Emperor Jimmu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his generals and tea-master, and fairy-tale figures such as Momotarō the Peach Boy or Kintarō the Golden Boy.
Gosha
Gosho dolls show fat, cute babies in a simplified form. The basic gosho is an almost-naked sitting boy, carved all in one piece, with very white skin, though gosho with elaborate clothing, hairstyle, and accessories, female as well as male, became popular as well. They developed as a gifts associated with the Imperial court, and "gosho" could be translated "palace" or "court."
Daruma dolls
Daruma dolls are spherical dolls with red bodies and white faces without pupils. They represent Bodhidharma, an East Indian who founded Zen about 1500 years ago; according to legend, he removed his own eyelids to prevent sleep from breaking his concentration, and his limbs withered after prolonged meditation. Daruma dolls are charms to bring good fortune, continued prosperity, and fortitude to accomplish goals. Usually daruma dolls are purchased without eyes. One eye is filled when making a wish, the other when the wish is fulfilled. Wishes can be made throughout the year, but it is common in Japan to do it on New Year's Day.
Kokeshi dolls
Ichimatsu dolls
Ichimatsu dolls represent little girls or boys, correctly proportioned and usually with flesh-colored skin and glass eyes. The original Ichimatsu were named after an 18th-century Kabuki actor, and must have represented an adult man, but since the late 19th century the term has applied to child dolls, usually made to hold in the arms, dress, and pose (either with elaborately made joints or with floppy cloth upper arms and thighs). Baby boy dolls with mischievous expressions were most popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, but in 1927 the
12 Bizarre Modern Japanese Toys
No one does weird toys like Japan does weird toys, we’ve found the strangest and most bizarre Japanese toys ever.
Tuttuki Bako Finger Game Box
Japan certainly has a reputation for strange and interesting handheld games but we’ve never seen anything quite like the Tuttuki Bako Finger Game. Each stage features something you interact with by poking it. Stick your finger in the box and a digital representation appears on the screen mimicking your motions. From what we can tell the various stages of the game include terrorizing a tiny stick man, poking a girl in the face and flicking a tiny panda.
Hex Bug Robot Cockroaches
If you can buy soccer playing robot dogs, why not a skittish robotic cockroach? The Hex Bug emulates a roach with feelers or sensors that tell it when to change direction when it hits a wall. They also react to loud sounds by scurrying away in fear. We can only imagine that they also scatter when you turn on the light. To try to make bugs seem cute, the Hex Bugs are available in blue, pink, green, yellow and orange.
Gotochi Dissection Animals
Kids love little keychains of cute little animals, but we think anatomically correct diagrams of animals may cross a line. The Gotochi Dissection animals display a diagram of the muscles and organs inside of a variety of animals including fish, pigs, cows and even a panda. All the parts are labeled, in Japanese of course. We suppose they could be used as tiny “cheat sheets” in Japanese biology classes, but we can’t figure out any other possible reasons to want one.
Edamane Baby Soybean Keychain
Much like the sensation one gets from popping bubble wrap, there’s something satisfying about popping edamame from their pods. Rather than playing with your food, Japanese toy maker Bandai developed a toy that provides endless tactile enjoyment without wasting a single soybean. 3 soybeans to a pod, the middle one contains a surprise face. If playing with toy beans isn’t enough excitement, you can try to collect 12 characters or the illusive Edamame Fairy.
Lokuloku Pig Toy
We don’t know what kind of crazy new age japanese technology is involved in the Lokuloku, a squishable pig toy, but we’re absolutely mesmerized by this thing. No matter what you do to this toy it always bounces back and retains it shape… even after being completely flattened and turned into a puddle of gold goo.
Rocobo Electronic Pet
Sort of a evolution of the virtual pet on a screen, the Roboco is a pet with a screen for a face. Though we never would have guessed that after the Tamagotchi craze that Japan could create a handheld pet that’s even more annoying. Roboco mimics your emotions, so when you yell at it in frustration it yells back and throws a tantrum. Sure, it has other emotions, but we just don’t see ourselves doing anything other than yelling at it.
Japanese Look Alike Dolls
If you’re got a few thousand yen ($208) and a hefty case of narcissism then you might consider getting on of these Grand Chariot doppelganger figurines. Sure, it’s kind of cool to capture yourself forever in a plastic figure, but then again, it’s also kind of creepy (as shown by the models here).
Yujin Cell Phone Emoticon Toys
Texting may be out of control in the US, but at least we don’t have emoticon toys. These weird little characters display Japanese emoticons known as kaomiji. You don’t have to know Japanese to understand the expressions on their creepy little dolls… in fact American otaku probably already recognize most of these and even use them on a daily basis.
Kannichi Ryotsu
Kankichi Ryotsu stars in his own comic in Japan and despite his friendly appearance, he’s actually a lazy pervert who’s always getting himself into unsavory situations. Not surprisingly the accessories that come with the Ryotsu figure include things like handcuffs and a firearm, but he also has his very own Tamagotchi pet… because what adult police officer would be without one?
KOIBITO Carp Person
Inspired by the phrase “fish out of water” Japanese designer Yoskay Yamamoto created this strange pop art toy. The head of the toy resembles a koi or goldfish, but has a much more human body. Well to be technical, it has a fish body too. We’re actually not really sure what to make of this figure, but we do know that we’re a little creeped out by it.
Shimajiro Toilet Training Tiger
Maybe it’s us… maybe the way we approach potty training in the US is a bit conservative, but on the other hand Japan seems to have the weirdest approach we could possibly imagine, complete with animated poop and talking toilets. The Shimajiro videos feature an animated tiger struggling with potty training and his animated personified waste. The accompanying toy attaches to the toilet paper roll holder and yells out encouraging phrases while you go.
H-Bouya USB Toy
Of all the strange Japanese toys, this one may take the cake. We have to be careful not to type the letter H too often in this post because H-Bouya will call us perverts. You see, in Japan, “H” or “ecchi” stands for “hentai” which is the word for porn in Japanese. The innocent baby boy will blink whenever you type that forbidden letter because it implies that your intentions are less than pure.
Tuttuki Bako Finger Game Box
Japan certainly has a reputation for strange and interesting handheld games but we’ve never seen anything quite like the Tuttuki Bako Finger Game. Each stage features something you interact with by poking it. Stick your finger in the box and a digital representation appears on the screen mimicking your motions. From what we can tell the various stages of the game include terrorizing a tiny stick man, poking a girl in the face and flicking a tiny panda.
Hex Bug Robot Cockroaches
If you can buy soccer playing robot dogs, why not a skittish robotic cockroach? The Hex Bug emulates a roach with feelers or sensors that tell it when to change direction when it hits a wall. They also react to loud sounds by scurrying away in fear. We can only imagine that they also scatter when you turn on the light. To try to make bugs seem cute, the Hex Bugs are available in blue, pink, green, yellow and orange.
Gotochi Dissection Animals
Kids love little keychains of cute little animals, but we think anatomically correct diagrams of animals may cross a line. The Gotochi Dissection animals display a diagram of the muscles and organs inside of a variety of animals including fish, pigs, cows and even a panda. All the parts are labeled, in Japanese of course. We suppose they could be used as tiny “cheat sheets” in Japanese biology classes, but we can’t figure out any other possible reasons to want one.
Edamane Baby Soybean Keychain
Much like the sensation one gets from popping bubble wrap, there’s something satisfying about popping edamame from their pods. Rather than playing with your food, Japanese toy maker Bandai developed a toy that provides endless tactile enjoyment without wasting a single soybean. 3 soybeans to a pod, the middle one contains a surprise face. If playing with toy beans isn’t enough excitement, you can try to collect 12 characters or the illusive Edamame Fairy.
Lokuloku Pig Toy
We don’t know what kind of crazy new age japanese technology is involved in the Lokuloku, a squishable pig toy, but we’re absolutely mesmerized by this thing. No matter what you do to this toy it always bounces back and retains it shape… even after being completely flattened and turned into a puddle of gold goo.
Rocobo Electronic Pet
Sort of a evolution of the virtual pet on a screen, the Roboco is a pet with a screen for a face. Though we never would have guessed that after the Tamagotchi craze that Japan could create a handheld pet that’s even more annoying. Roboco mimics your emotions, so when you yell at it in frustration it yells back and throws a tantrum. Sure, it has other emotions, but we just don’t see ourselves doing anything other than yelling at it.
Japanese Look Alike Dolls
If you’re got a few thousand yen ($208) and a hefty case of narcissism then you might consider getting on of these Grand Chariot doppelganger figurines. Sure, it’s kind of cool to capture yourself forever in a plastic figure, but then again, it’s also kind of creepy (as shown by the models here).
Yujin Cell Phone Emoticon Toys
Texting may be out of control in the US, but at least we don’t have emoticon toys. These weird little characters display Japanese emoticons known as kaomiji. You don’t have to know Japanese to understand the expressions on their creepy little dolls… in fact American otaku probably already recognize most of these and even use them on a daily basis.
Kannichi Ryotsu
Kankichi Ryotsu stars in his own comic in Japan and despite his friendly appearance, he’s actually a lazy pervert who’s always getting himself into unsavory situations. Not surprisingly the accessories that come with the Ryotsu figure include things like handcuffs and a firearm, but he also has his very own Tamagotchi pet… because what adult police officer would be without one?
KOIBITO Carp Person
Inspired by the phrase “fish out of water” Japanese designer Yoskay Yamamoto created this strange pop art toy. The head of the toy resembles a koi or goldfish, but has a much more human body. Well to be technical, it has a fish body too. We’re actually not really sure what to make of this figure, but we do know that we’re a little creeped out by it.
Shimajiro Toilet Training Tiger
Maybe it’s us… maybe the way we approach potty training in the US is a bit conservative, but on the other hand Japan seems to have the weirdest approach we could possibly imagine, complete with animated poop and talking toilets. The Shimajiro videos feature an animated tiger struggling with potty training and his animated personified waste. The accompanying toy attaches to the toilet paper roll holder and yells out encouraging phrases while you go.
H-Bouya USB Toy
Of all the strange Japanese toys, this one may take the cake. We have to be careful not to type the letter H too often in this post because H-Bouya will call us perverts. You see, in Japan, “H” or “ecchi” stands for “hentai” which is the word for porn in Japanese. The innocent baby boy will blink whenever you type that forbidden letter because it implies that your intentions are less than pure.
Shogi
Shogi is also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan. Shōgi means general's (shō) boardgame (gi). In early years, however, shogi was written 象棋 (the same as Xiangqi, "elephant chess").
The earliest predecessors of the game, chaturanga, originated in India in the 6th century AD, and spread from China to Japan, where it spawned a number of variants. Shogi in its present form was played as early as the 16th century, while a direct ancestor without the "drop rule" was recorded from 1210 in a historical document Nichūreki, which is an edited copy of Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki from the late Heian period (ca 1120)
According to ChessVariants.com, "Perhaps the enduring popularity of Shogi can be attributed to its 'drop rule'; it was the first chess variant wherein captured pieces could be returned to the board to be used as one's own. David Pritchard credits the drop rule to the practice of 16th century mercenaries who switched loyalties when captured—no doubt as an alternative to execution.
The world's first chess variant Chaturanga arose in India in approximately the seventh century AD. From there it migrated both westward and northward, mutating along the way. The western branch became Shatranj in Arabia and Orthodox Chess in Europe. The northern branch became Xiangqi in China and Changgi in Korea. Sometime in the 10th to 12th centuries, 'chess' crossed the channel to Japan where it spawned a number of interesting variants. One of these was called 'Small Shogi'. Eventually, Small Shogi (though it went through many forms) won out over the larger variants and is now referred to simply as 'Shogi'."[1] "It is certain that Shogi in its present form was played in Japan as early as the 16th century."
It is not clear when chess was brought to Japan. The earliest generally accepted mention of shogi is Shin Saru Gakuki (1058–1064) by Fujiwara Akihira. The oldest archaeological evidence is a group of 16 shogi pieces excavated from the grounds of Kōfuku-ji in Nara Prefecture. As it was physically associated with a wooden tablet written on in the sixth year of Tenki (1058), the pieces are thought to date from that period. These simple pieces were cut from a writing plaque in the same five-sided shape as modern pieces, with the names of the pieces written on them.
The dictionary of common folk culture, Nichūreki (ca. 1210–1221), a collection based on the two works Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki describes two forms of shogi, large (dai) shogi and small (shō) shogi. These are now called Heian shogi (or Heian small shogi) and Heian dai shogi. Heian small shogi is the version on which modern shogi is based, but the Nichūreki states that one wins if one's opponent is reduced to a single king, indicating that drops had not yet been introduced. According to Kōji Shimizu, chief researcher at the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, the names of the Heian shogi pieces keep those of chaturanga (general, elephant, horse, chariot and soldier), and add to them the five treasures of Buddhism (jade, gold, silver, katsura tree, and incense). Around the 13th century the game of dai shogi developed, created by increasing the number of pieces in Heian shogi, as was sho shogi, which added the rook, bishop, and drunken elephant from dai shogi to Heian shogi.
Around the 15th century, the rules of dai shogi were simplified, creating the game of chu shogi in a form close to the modern game. It is thought that the rules of standard shogi were fixed in the 16th century, when the drunken elephant was removed from the set of pieces. However, there is no clear record of when drops were introduced.
In the Edo period, shogi variants were greatly expanded: tenjiku shogi, dai dai shogi, maka dai dai shogi, tai shogi, and taikyoku shogi were all invented. However, it is thought that these were only played to a very limited extent. Both standard shogi and go were promoted by the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1612, the shogunate passed a law giving endowments to top shogi players (Meijin (名人?)). During the reign of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, castle shogi tournaments were held once a year on the 17th day of Kannazuki, corresponding to November 17, which is Shogi Day on the modern calendar.
The title of meijin became hereditary in the Ōhashi and Itō families until the fall of the shogunate, when it came to be passed by recommendation. Today the title is used for the winner of the Meijin-sen competition, the first modern title match. From around 1899, newspapers began to publish records of shogi matches, and high-ranking players formed alliances with the aim of having their games published. In 1909, the Shogi Association was formed, and in 1924, the Tokyo Shogi Association was formed. This was an early incarnation of the modern Japan Shogi Association, founded in 1997.
In 1935, meijin Sekine Kinjirō stepped down, and the rank of meijin came to be awarded to the winner of a Meijin title match. Yoshio Kimura became the first Meijin in 1937. This was the start of the shogi title matches. After the war other tournaments were promoted to title matches, culminating with the Ryūō title match in 1988 for the modern line-up of seven. About 200 professional shogi players compete. Each year, the title holder defends the title against a challenger chosen from knockout or round matches.
The closest cousin of Shogi in Chaturanga family is Makruk of Thailand. Not only the similarity in distribution and movements of the pieces but also the names of Shogi pieces suggest intimacy between Shogi and Makruk by its Buddhist symbolism (Gold, Silver, Cassia and Incense) which is not recognised in Chinese chess at all. In fact, Chinese chess and its East Asian variants are far remoter relatives than Makruk. Though some early variants of Chaturanga more similar to Shogi and Makruk are known to have been played in Tang Dynasty China, they are thought to have been extinguished in Song Dynasty China and in East Asia except in Japan probably owing to the prosperity of Chinese chess.
The earliest predecessors of the game, chaturanga, originated in India in the 6th century AD, and spread from China to Japan, where it spawned a number of variants. Shogi in its present form was played as early as the 16th century, while a direct ancestor without the "drop rule" was recorded from 1210 in a historical document Nichūreki, which is an edited copy of Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki from the late Heian period (ca 1120)
According to ChessVariants.com, "Perhaps the enduring popularity of Shogi can be attributed to its 'drop rule'; it was the first chess variant wherein captured pieces could be returned to the board to be used as one's own. David Pritchard credits the drop rule to the practice of 16th century mercenaries who switched loyalties when captured—no doubt as an alternative to execution.
The world's first chess variant Chaturanga arose in India in approximately the seventh century AD. From there it migrated both westward and northward, mutating along the way. The western branch became Shatranj in Arabia and Orthodox Chess in Europe. The northern branch became Xiangqi in China and Changgi in Korea. Sometime in the 10th to 12th centuries, 'chess' crossed the channel to Japan where it spawned a number of interesting variants. One of these was called 'Small Shogi'. Eventually, Small Shogi (though it went through many forms) won out over the larger variants and is now referred to simply as 'Shogi'."[1] "It is certain that Shogi in its present form was played in Japan as early as the 16th century."
It is not clear when chess was brought to Japan. The earliest generally accepted mention of shogi is Shin Saru Gakuki (1058–1064) by Fujiwara Akihira. The oldest archaeological evidence is a group of 16 shogi pieces excavated from the grounds of Kōfuku-ji in Nara Prefecture. As it was physically associated with a wooden tablet written on in the sixth year of Tenki (1058), the pieces are thought to date from that period. These simple pieces were cut from a writing plaque in the same five-sided shape as modern pieces, with the names of the pieces written on them.
The dictionary of common folk culture, Nichūreki (ca. 1210–1221), a collection based on the two works Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki describes two forms of shogi, large (dai) shogi and small (shō) shogi. These are now called Heian shogi (or Heian small shogi) and Heian dai shogi. Heian small shogi is the version on which modern shogi is based, but the Nichūreki states that one wins if one's opponent is reduced to a single king, indicating that drops had not yet been introduced. According to Kōji Shimizu, chief researcher at the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, the names of the Heian shogi pieces keep those of chaturanga (general, elephant, horse, chariot and soldier), and add to them the five treasures of Buddhism (jade, gold, silver, katsura tree, and incense). Around the 13th century the game of dai shogi developed, created by increasing the number of pieces in Heian shogi, as was sho shogi, which added the rook, bishop, and drunken elephant from dai shogi to Heian shogi.
Around the 15th century, the rules of dai shogi were simplified, creating the game of chu shogi in a form close to the modern game. It is thought that the rules of standard shogi were fixed in the 16th century, when the drunken elephant was removed from the set of pieces. However, there is no clear record of when drops were introduced.
In the Edo period, shogi variants were greatly expanded: tenjiku shogi, dai dai shogi, maka dai dai shogi, tai shogi, and taikyoku shogi were all invented. However, it is thought that these were only played to a very limited extent. Both standard shogi and go were promoted by the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1612, the shogunate passed a law giving endowments to top shogi players (Meijin (名人?)). During the reign of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, castle shogi tournaments were held once a year on the 17th day of Kannazuki, corresponding to November 17, which is Shogi Day on the modern calendar.
The title of meijin became hereditary in the Ōhashi and Itō families until the fall of the shogunate, when it came to be passed by recommendation. Today the title is used for the winner of the Meijin-sen competition, the first modern title match. From around 1899, newspapers began to publish records of shogi matches, and high-ranking players formed alliances with the aim of having their games published. In 1909, the Shogi Association was formed, and in 1924, the Tokyo Shogi Association was formed. This was an early incarnation of the modern Japan Shogi Association, founded in 1997.
In 1935, meijin Sekine Kinjirō stepped down, and the rank of meijin came to be awarded to the winner of a Meijin title match. Yoshio Kimura became the first Meijin in 1937. This was the start of the shogi title matches. After the war other tournaments were promoted to title matches, culminating with the Ryūō title match in 1988 for the modern line-up of seven. About 200 professional shogi players compete. Each year, the title holder defends the title against a challenger chosen from knockout or round matches.
The closest cousin of Shogi in Chaturanga family is Makruk of Thailand. Not only the similarity in distribution and movements of the pieces but also the names of Shogi pieces suggest intimacy between Shogi and Makruk by its Buddhist symbolism (Gold, Silver, Cassia and Incense) which is not recognised in Chinese chess at all. In fact, Chinese chess and its East Asian variants are far remoter relatives than Makruk. Though some early variants of Chaturanga more similar to Shogi and Makruk are known to have been played in Tang Dynasty China, they are thought to have been extinguished in Song Dynasty China and in East Asia except in Japan probably owing to the prosperity of Chinese chess.
Origami
Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without the use of glue or scissors, and with the use of only one piece of paper.
Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The most well known form is probably the Japanese paper crane. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be different colors or prints. Contrary to most popular belief, traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603–1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper during the creation of the design
Japanese origami began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks from China carried paper to Japan. The first Japanese origami is dated from this period, and was used for religious ceremonial purposes only, due to the high price of paper. By the 1700s, origami had become more widespread, and in 1764 the first known origami book was published in Japan.
The Japanese word "origami" itself is a compound of two smaller Japanese words: "ori", meaning fold, and "gami", meaning paper. Until recently, all forms of paper folding were grouped under the word origami, namely "tsutsumi", a kind of wrapper used for formal occasions. Before that, paperfolding for play was known by a variety of names, including "orikata", "orisue", "orimono", "tatamigami" and others. Exactly why "origami" became the common name is not known; it has been suggested that the word was adopted in the kindergartens because the written characters were easier for young children to write. Another theory is that the word "origami" was a direct translation of the German word "Papierfalten", brought into Japan with the Kindergarten Movement around 1880.
Washi is the predominant origami paper used in Japan. Washi is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, and is used in many traditional arts. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera), or the paper mulberry but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat.
Artisan papers such as unryu, lokta, hanji, gampi, kozo, saa, and abaca have long fibres and are often extremely strong. As these papers are floppy to start with, they are often backcoated or resized with methylcellulose or wheat paste before folding. Also, these papers are extremely thin and compressible, allowing for thin, narrowed limbs as in the case of insect models.
Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The most well known form is probably the Japanese paper crane. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be different colors or prints. Contrary to most popular belief, traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603–1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper during the creation of the design
Japanese origami began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks from China carried paper to Japan. The first Japanese origami is dated from this period, and was used for religious ceremonial purposes only, due to the high price of paper. By the 1700s, origami had become more widespread, and in 1764 the first known origami book was published in Japan.
The Japanese word "origami" itself is a compound of two smaller Japanese words: "ori", meaning fold, and "gami", meaning paper. Until recently, all forms of paper folding were grouped under the word origami, namely "tsutsumi", a kind of wrapper used for formal occasions. Before that, paperfolding for play was known by a variety of names, including "orikata", "orisue", "orimono", "tatamigami" and others. Exactly why "origami" became the common name is not known; it has been suggested that the word was adopted in the kindergartens because the written characters were easier for young children to write. Another theory is that the word "origami" was a direct translation of the German word "Papierfalten", brought into Japan with the Kindergarten Movement around 1880.
Washi is the predominant origami paper used in Japan. Washi is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, and is used in many traditional arts. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera), or the paper mulberry but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat.
Artisan papers such as unryu, lokta, hanji, gampi, kozo, saa, and abaca have long fibres and are often extremely strong. As these papers are floppy to start with, they are often backcoated or resized with methylcellulose or wheat paste before folding. Also, these papers are extremely thin and compressible, allowing for thin, narrowed limbs as in the case of insect models.
Japanese Modern toys: Pokemon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) was created by Media Factory in Japan. It was first released in Japan in 1996. Wizards of the Coast, seeing a great opportunity to ride the new Pokémon wave, was licensed the game and introduced Pokémon TCG to North America in 1999. In 2003, Nintendo of America took over the game from Wizards of the Coast, and is currently releasing new sets for it. During the early part of its run, two Game Boy Color games were also released, Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, though only the first was released outside of Japan.
A person must build a deck of sixty cards using a combination of various "Pokémon" cards (creatures that do battle), "Trainer" cards (which have special effects on them) and "Energy" cards (a method of cost). To win, a player must take their six prize cards by "knocking out" their opponent's Pokémon creatures. A player can also win when their opponent no longer has any Pokémon creatures on the field, or if their opponent can't draw a card at the beginning of their turn.
Unlike classic card games which use a single deck of 52 preset cards, trading card game (TCG) is constantly and continuously growing. New cards with new games abilities are released at a steady interval in order to keep the game fresh and alive. The only cost of TCG's, however, is that it forces a player to constantly keep in touch with the game, as well as having to purchase new cards from newly released sets. Players who don't keep up run the risk of falling behind other players. The Pokémon TCG requires a deck of 60 cards for standard or tourney play, while short matches can be held via 'half-decks' which consist of 30 cards instead. During a 60 card match, only four of any card (excluding Basic energy cards) is allowed in each deck to keep things fair and challenging. This is limited to two in a half-deck match.
Fans have also created their own game rules and playing methods. Their websites are devoted in providing alternative playing methods for fans.
However, this Pokemon TCG has caused much controversy, especially in the aspect of morality. Pokémon has been criticized by some Christians, Jews, and Muslims; Christian concerns over Pokémon have primarily addressed perceived occultic and violent themes as well as the concept of "Pokémon evolution" (which some relate to the theory of evolution), which is said to go against the Biblical creation account in Genesis. The Vatican, however, has countered that the Pokémon trading card game and video games are "full of inventive imagination" and have no "harmful moral side effects".In the United Kingdom, the "Christian Power Cards" game was introduced in 1999 by David Tate who stated, "Some people aren't happy with Pokémon and want an alternative, others just want Christian games." The game was similar to the Pokémon TCG but used Biblical figures. In 1999, the Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League also pressured Nintendo to edit the image of the Pokémon trading cards for Golbat and Ditto because the cards depicted a left-facing manji, which the League interpreted as antisemitism, although these cards had been intended for sale only in Japan with Nintendo planning to release edited versions in North America the following year. In 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokémon games and cards, alleging that the franchise promoted Zionism in violation of Muslim doctrine. Pokémon has also been accused of promoting materialism. In 1999, two nine-year-old boys sued Nintendo because they claimed that the Pokémon Trading Card Game caused their problematic gambling.
A person must build a deck of sixty cards using a combination of various "Pokémon" cards (creatures that do battle), "Trainer" cards (which have special effects on them) and "Energy" cards (a method of cost). To win, a player must take their six prize cards by "knocking out" their opponent's Pokémon creatures. A player can also win when their opponent no longer has any Pokémon creatures on the field, or if their opponent can't draw a card at the beginning of their turn.
Unlike classic card games which use a single deck of 52 preset cards, trading card game (TCG) is constantly and continuously growing. New cards with new games abilities are released at a steady interval in order to keep the game fresh and alive. The only cost of TCG's, however, is that it forces a player to constantly keep in touch with the game, as well as having to purchase new cards from newly released sets. Players who don't keep up run the risk of falling behind other players. The Pokémon TCG requires a deck of 60 cards for standard or tourney play, while short matches can be held via 'half-decks' which consist of 30 cards instead. During a 60 card match, only four of any card (excluding Basic energy cards) is allowed in each deck to keep things fair and challenging. This is limited to two in a half-deck match.
Fans have also created their own game rules and playing methods. Their websites are devoted in providing alternative playing methods for fans.
However, this Pokemon TCG has caused much controversy, especially in the aspect of morality. Pokémon has been criticized by some Christians, Jews, and Muslims; Christian concerns over Pokémon have primarily addressed perceived occultic and violent themes as well as the concept of "Pokémon evolution" (which some relate to the theory of evolution), which is said to go against the Biblical creation account in Genesis. The Vatican, however, has countered that the Pokémon trading card game and video games are "full of inventive imagination" and have no "harmful moral side effects".In the United Kingdom, the "Christian Power Cards" game was introduced in 1999 by David Tate who stated, "Some people aren't happy with Pokémon and want an alternative, others just want Christian games." The game was similar to the Pokémon TCG but used Biblical figures. In 1999, the Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League also pressured Nintendo to edit the image of the Pokémon trading cards for Golbat and Ditto because the cards depicted a left-facing manji, which the League interpreted as antisemitism, although these cards had been intended for sale only in Japan with Nintendo planning to release edited versions in North America the following year. In 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokémon games and cards, alleging that the franchise promoted Zionism in violation of Muslim doctrine. Pokémon has also been accused of promoting materialism. In 1999, two nine-year-old boys sued Nintendo because they claimed that the Pokémon Trading Card Game caused their problematic gambling.
Japanese traditional toys: Menko
Many regard the MENKO as the forerunner to modern Japanese trading cards. They are right to a certain extent but to the Japanese who grew up playing with them, they are much more than this. It is ironic that menkos are still being produced in today's Japan to compete with baseball and other trading cards. Perhaps some believe that menkos are the last soldiers of a way of life that once was glorious to ambitious little boys. It is their hope that the boys of today can somehow rediscover the burning passion for menkos that boys once felt.
First of all, a menko is more than just a piece of cardboard. It is a "spiritual toy" peculiar to Japan. In a way, it is the embodiment of the spirit of Old Japan. More precisely, it is a boy's social "gambling piece", somewhat like the board pieces in our Risk or Monopoly games. It serves as a medium or excuse by which a boy can meet and make friends with other boys. It allows him to challenge others and to do battle in a friendly way, in preparation for his later adult battles against unfriendly elements. In a way, it is a ticket to high adventure as a hero among boys, and a training incentive for a future role as a "Yamato warrior", a hero among men. The boys who undergo the menko experience learn to treasure forever the memories of bragging and boisterous comradeship, of daring and dramatic competition, and of endless conquests of colorful pictures of childhood heroes.
There are many ways to play with menkos, and most of the games seem to aim at either flipping the opponent's cards or knocking cards out of a ring, as in sumo wrestling. Indeed, the menkos of old are really just like sumo contenders, with many carrying the scars of battle. Because of this, people in many parts of Japan refer to menko as "bettan" or "patchin", which are sounds they hear when a boy's menko successfully defeats a challenger's champion.
The history of the menko spans 250 years, beginning in the middle of the Edo Period (the early 1700's) when menkos were made of dried mud or clay. The word "menko" literally means small object with a face, and quite a few of the early menkos carried the face of a person or animal. Through the years, the medium for making menkos changed. New materials were used including tile, wood, lead (and other metals), and finally paper.
The making of paper or cardboard menkos began around the Japan-Manchuria wars of the mid 1890's. These cards were block printed, blank-backed, and round. Some were hand tinted. As might be expected, due to Japan's preoccupation with military manifest destiny in Asia, most of these menkos portrayed faces of samurai warriors, famous politicians, or soldiers.
In 1900, Japan banned the use of lead in menkos, due to poisoning cases that had occurred in Osaka from kids licking their menkos (possibly to gain an advantage over their opponents in menko shooting matches). In any case, with the elimination of its lead-based competitor, the cardboard menko had free reign to live long and prosper in the big hearts of little boys, at least for the next 60 or so years.
Interest in baseball was stimulated by the visit of the 1934 U.S. All Stars including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, and Charlie Gehringer (all of whom Eiji Sawamura struck out consecutively!). Unnamed baseball players began to appear on menkos. These simple, generic cards would later be replaced by menkos which named popular colleges or high schools and much later by those depicting professional stars.
Baseball got another shot in the arm when Japan lost World War II and General MacArthur's occupation prohibited the glorification of traditional Japanese heroes. This meant that the Japanese soldiers and samurai warriors who had once graced the faces of menkos had to be replaced. Japanese baseball stars and Sumo wrestlers were a natural, being an acceptable alternative as Japanese "hero figures". Looking for ways to forget war and its depressing aftermath, the Japanese began to visit movie houses more frequently to see American cowboy flicks, Mickey Mouse and Popeye cartoons, and Tarzan adventures. Of course, these cultural "heroes" also starred on menkos.
A third booster shot to interest in baseball occurred with the popularization of TV in the late 1950's, and the broadcasting of games, especially those of the Tokyo Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. Also benefitting from this new recreation device were programs dealing with outer space and monsters, as well as Japanese TV programs which also found their way onto the fronts of menkos.
The post war education system in Japan, which stressed anti-war sentiments, as well as the national attempt to replace military power with economic power, eventually molded a new generation of boys who no longer felt a need to battle in play to prepare for eventual military duty. Accordingly, the role of the menko began to take on lessening value. This was particularly true during the years of economic and political hardship beginning in the mid 60's. As Japan became more technologically advanced and television secured children's play-time attention, mothers pressured their kids to devote all their time to study in order to get ahead in life. Children forgot about their menkos.
Up until this time, menkos had been produced using relatively crude printing since they were made for boys to "fight" with and destroy. Now that menkos were no longer being used as "fighting pieces", the printing was refined so that the cards would be attractive and collectable. At the retail level, merchants began to repackage unsold menkos and emphasize them by using them as prizes or in grab-bags.
In the 1970's, concurrent with Japan's desire to modernize and replace the traditional with the new, several new products were introduced to compete with the menko. The minicard format (about 2 x 2 1/2 inches) appeared around 1972 and achieved spectacular sales especially when the subject was an extremely popular animation or live-action TV Hero. Stickers and seals were also introduced. In the wake of the popularity of the minicard, numerous attempts were made to revitalize the menko industry and capture the lost last generation of kids by making menkos even bigger, by putting them into attractive packaging, or by making them thicker. But, cards in themselves as toys were generally no longer enough to capture the heart and mind of the modern Japanese child.
First of all, a menko is more than just a piece of cardboard. It is a "spiritual toy" peculiar to Japan. In a way, it is the embodiment of the spirit of Old Japan. More precisely, it is a boy's social "gambling piece", somewhat like the board pieces in our Risk or Monopoly games. It serves as a medium or excuse by which a boy can meet and make friends with other boys. It allows him to challenge others and to do battle in a friendly way, in preparation for his later adult battles against unfriendly elements. In a way, it is a ticket to high adventure as a hero among boys, and a training incentive for a future role as a "Yamato warrior", a hero among men. The boys who undergo the menko experience learn to treasure forever the memories of bragging and boisterous comradeship, of daring and dramatic competition, and of endless conquests of colorful pictures of childhood heroes.
There are many ways to play with menkos, and most of the games seem to aim at either flipping the opponent's cards or knocking cards out of a ring, as in sumo wrestling. Indeed, the menkos of old are really just like sumo contenders, with many carrying the scars of battle. Because of this, people in many parts of Japan refer to menko as "bettan" or "patchin", which are sounds they hear when a boy's menko successfully defeats a challenger's champion.
The history of the menko spans 250 years, beginning in the middle of the Edo Period (the early 1700's) when menkos were made of dried mud or clay. The word "menko" literally means small object with a face, and quite a few of the early menkos carried the face of a person or animal. Through the years, the medium for making menkos changed. New materials were used including tile, wood, lead (and other metals), and finally paper.
The making of paper or cardboard menkos began around the Japan-Manchuria wars of the mid 1890's. These cards were block printed, blank-backed, and round. Some were hand tinted. As might be expected, due to Japan's preoccupation with military manifest destiny in Asia, most of these menkos portrayed faces of samurai warriors, famous politicians, or soldiers.
In 1900, Japan banned the use of lead in menkos, due to poisoning cases that had occurred in Osaka from kids licking their menkos (possibly to gain an advantage over their opponents in menko shooting matches). In any case, with the elimination of its lead-based competitor, the cardboard menko had free reign to live long and prosper in the big hearts of little boys, at least for the next 60 or so years.
Interest in baseball was stimulated by the visit of the 1934 U.S. All Stars including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, and Charlie Gehringer (all of whom Eiji Sawamura struck out consecutively!). Unnamed baseball players began to appear on menkos. These simple, generic cards would later be replaced by menkos which named popular colleges or high schools and much later by those depicting professional stars.
Baseball got another shot in the arm when Japan lost World War II and General MacArthur's occupation prohibited the glorification of traditional Japanese heroes. This meant that the Japanese soldiers and samurai warriors who had once graced the faces of menkos had to be replaced. Japanese baseball stars and Sumo wrestlers were a natural, being an acceptable alternative as Japanese "hero figures". Looking for ways to forget war and its depressing aftermath, the Japanese began to visit movie houses more frequently to see American cowboy flicks, Mickey Mouse and Popeye cartoons, and Tarzan adventures. Of course, these cultural "heroes" also starred on menkos.
A third booster shot to interest in baseball occurred with the popularization of TV in the late 1950's, and the broadcasting of games, especially those of the Tokyo Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. Also benefitting from this new recreation device were programs dealing with outer space and monsters, as well as Japanese TV programs which also found their way onto the fronts of menkos.
The post war education system in Japan, which stressed anti-war sentiments, as well as the national attempt to replace military power with economic power, eventually molded a new generation of boys who no longer felt a need to battle in play to prepare for eventual military duty. Accordingly, the role of the menko began to take on lessening value. This was particularly true during the years of economic and political hardship beginning in the mid 60's. As Japan became more technologically advanced and television secured children's play-time attention, mothers pressured their kids to devote all their time to study in order to get ahead in life. Children forgot about their menkos.
Up until this time, menkos had been produced using relatively crude printing since they were made for boys to "fight" with and destroy. Now that menkos were no longer being used as "fighting pieces", the printing was refined so that the cards would be attractive and collectable. At the retail level, merchants began to repackage unsold menkos and emphasize them by using them as prizes or in grab-bags.
In the 1970's, concurrent with Japan's desire to modernize and replace the traditional with the new, several new products were introduced to compete with the menko. The minicard format (about 2 x 2 1/2 inches) appeared around 1972 and achieved spectacular sales especially when the subject was an extremely popular animation or live-action TV Hero. Stickers and seals were also introduced. In the wake of the popularity of the minicard, numerous attempts were made to revitalize the menko industry and capture the lost last generation of kids by making menkos even bigger, by putting them into attractive packaging, or by making them thicker. But, cards in themselves as toys were generally no longer enough to capture the heart and mind of the modern Japanese child.
Japanese modern toys: Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. Designed by Ikuko Shimizu, the first product, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974, and in the United States in 1976.
The character is portrayed as a female white cat, with a red bow and no drawn mouth. She lives in London, England with her parents and twin sister.
The Hello Kitty line has since developed licensing arrangements worth more than $1 billion a year in sales. Examples of products depicting the character include dolls, stickers, greeting cards, clothes, accessories, school supplies, dishes and home appliances. Hello Kitty has an official theme park, Sanrio Puroland.
The Japanese anime series Hello Kitty and Friends aired on TV Tokyo in Japan, and CBS in the United States in 1991. It also ran in reruns on Toon Disney. On the show, Kitty is a little girl living with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is identical to Kitty but has different colored clothes and wears her bow under the opposite ear. 13 episodes were produced, using animation produced as early as 1991.
On Japanese television, Hello Kitty has starred in an anime series. Hello Kitty's Paradise ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. This version was released in English in 2000, and like "Hello Kitty and Friends". Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre, which had Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales.
Hello Kitty appeared in a new Japanese clay-animated series called Hello Kitty's Stump Village in 2005. At Anime Expo 2006, Geneon Universal Entertainment announced that Hello Kitty's Stump Village was one of the series it licensed for U.S. release. Volume 1 was released in October, and Volume 2 was released in January and in 2008. After Geneon withdrew from the US market at the end of 2007, it was later re-licensed by Funimation Entertainment, who will continue to release it in North America. Hello Kitty appeared for the first time in a full 3D animation The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends developed by Sanrio's digital entertainment entity Sanrio Digital
Numerous Hello Kitty games have been produced since the release of the first title for NES in 1992; however, the majority of these games haven't seen a release outside of Japan. Hello Kitty also has made cameo appearances in games featuring other Sanrio characters, such as the Keroppi game, Kero Kero Keroppi no Bōken Nikki: Nemureru Mori no Keroleen. Special edition consoles such as the Hello Kitty Dreamcast, Hello Kitty Game Boy Pocket, and Hello Kitty Crystal Edition Xbox have also been released exclusively in Japan.
The character is portrayed as a female white cat, with a red bow and no drawn mouth. She lives in London, England with her parents and twin sister.
The Hello Kitty line has since developed licensing arrangements worth more than $1 billion a year in sales. Examples of products depicting the character include dolls, stickers, greeting cards, clothes, accessories, school supplies, dishes and home appliances. Hello Kitty has an official theme park, Sanrio Puroland.
The Japanese anime series Hello Kitty and Friends aired on TV Tokyo in Japan, and CBS in the United States in 1991. It also ran in reruns on Toon Disney. On the show, Kitty is a little girl living with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is identical to Kitty but has different colored clothes and wears her bow under the opposite ear. 13 episodes were produced, using animation produced as early as 1991.
On Japanese television, Hello Kitty has starred in an anime series. Hello Kitty's Paradise ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. This version was released in English in 2000, and like "Hello Kitty and Friends". Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre, which had Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales.
Hello Kitty appeared in a new Japanese clay-animated series called Hello Kitty's Stump Village in 2005. At Anime Expo 2006, Geneon Universal Entertainment announced that Hello Kitty's Stump Village was one of the series it licensed for U.S. release. Volume 1 was released in October, and Volume 2 was released in January and in 2008. After Geneon withdrew from the US market at the end of 2007, it was later re-licensed by Funimation Entertainment, who will continue to release it in North America. Hello Kitty appeared for the first time in a full 3D animation The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends developed by Sanrio's digital entertainment entity Sanrio Digital
Numerous Hello Kitty games have been produced since the release of the first title for NES in 1992; however, the majority of these games haven't seen a release outside of Japan. Hello Kitty also has made cameo appearances in games featuring other Sanrio characters, such as the Keroppi game, Kero Kero Keroppi no Bōken Nikki: Nemureru Mori no Keroleen. Special edition consoles such as the Hello Kitty Dreamcast, Hello Kitty Game Boy Pocket, and Hello Kitty Crystal Edition Xbox have also been released exclusively in Japan.
Japanese traditional toys: Kites
Kites were first introduced into Japan by Buddhist missionaries who travelled from China in the Nara period (649-794 AD) and were mainly used in religious and thanks giving ceremonies.
A Japanese dictionary dated 981 AD was the first to record the Japanese word for kite and used the characters for "Kami Tobi" meaning paper hawk - which suggests that the first kites were bird shaped.
The Japanese absorbed much of the Chinese culture but they developed their own distinctive kite designs and traditions. They were used from earliest times for practical purposes such as in the construction of many shrines and temples in Japan where large kites were used to lift tiles and other materials up to workers on the roof tops.
An early example of man-carrrying was told of a 12th Century warrior Minamoto-no-Tametomo who was exiled to an island along with his son and saddened by his son's lonely existence constructed a large kite on which he made his escape to the mainland.
A Japanese thief used a man-carrying kite to steal the gold scales from an ornamental dolphin on the roof of the Castle of Nagoya and was only caught because he bragged of his daring deed. He and his family were boiled in oil.
It was in the Edo period 1603 - 1867 when Japan was closed to all foreigners that most of the beautiful Japanese kites we know today were developed. There are about 130 different styles and types of kites, each region having its own unique shape. They are normally decorated with characters from Japanese folklore, mythology or have some religious or symbolic meaning.
All are painted with bright coloured natural dyes, sumi (black ink) and constructed from washi paper (handmade paper) and bamboo or where bamboo if difficult to grow cypress wood is used instead. The bamboo frame is called the bones and the paper covering is known as the skin.
The popular name now for a Japanese kite is Tako - thought to be a play on the name - Tokyo where kites were very popular. The Japanese even have a word in their vocabulary "Tako-Kichi" which means, "kite crazy".
Traditionally kites are flown on boy's day May 5th, (the 5th day of the 5th month) at religious festivals, public holidays and New Year. At Harvest Festival kites are flown with stalks of rice attached as a symbolic offering of thanks for a good crop. Others are decorated with the face of a demon and would act as a talisman against evil. One of the most famous kite festivals is Hamamatsu where kite teams battle against each other whilst over 2,000,000 spectators look on.
Congratulation kites are still given to first born sons. Kites with paintings of folk heros or gods are believed to protect and guide the new-born child into adulthood, Fukusuke the large headed dwarf will bring good luck and some carry long life symbols such as the crane or tortoise, The most popular design is Kinorta - a small boy who was left by his parents in a mountain forest and raised by bears - he grew up to be wise and very strong. Kinorta is often painted with a carp, another symbol of strength and bravery because the carp must swim up stream against the current to lay its eggs.
The Edo kite is one of the best-known Japanese kites and takes it name from Edo - the old name for Tokyo. Its design is rectangular and multi bridled with elaborate and detailed paintings of famous warriors, Kabuki actors, priests and geisha girls. The majority are painted in the Ukiyo-e style - a reference to the very popular woodblock pictures of the mid 18th century.
Tiezo Hashimoto was one of the most famous and last professional kitemakers in Tokyo. He was made a living National Treasure for his work in the traditional arts. Like most Japanese artists he always left the painting of the pupils of the eyes until last. The picture is not considered to have life until they are added. His wife was responsible for wrapping a thin piece of paper around the bamboo spars in order that the paper sail (the skin) would stick firmly to the frame (the skeleton). This is the sign of a well made kite.Sadly he died in 1991 aged 87 and his kites are now highly prized by collectors.
Like most Japanese kites, Edo kites are flown without tails. A commonly held belief in Japan is that if a kite requires a tail in order to fly it is not well designed - although in strong winds tails are added.
Very big kites have always held a fascination for the Japanese and there are still a couple of very popular kite festivals in Japan where giant kites are flown. During the 2nd week of June two teams from the city of Shirone battle against each other from opposite banks of the river with kites measuring 7 metres x 5 metres. When they crash or are dragged into the water the paper covering becomes very wet and along with the bright paint pigments dissolves, making the water a wonderful colour, leaving only a skeleton bamboo frame.
One of Japan's largest kites was the Wan Wan kite with an overall width of 24 metres. One kite made in 1914 weighed 2.8 tons and required 150 - 200 men to fly it. The tails were 500 feet long and like the flying line were made from the anchor ropes of ships. Sometimes the winds were too strong to pull them in and had to be left anchored until the wind subsided allowing the kite to come down of its own accord. Sadly the large WanWans are no longer made.
The largest kites flown today are in Hoshubana on Boys Day - May 5th. Approximately 200 years ago the local Buddhist Priest told the local farmers that if they flew kites in the sky (where the rain, wind and lightening came from) this would please the Gods and have a calming influence on the weather and would make it kinder for their production of silkworms. The farmers made small kites at first and as their yields grew bigger year by year making them more prosperous the kites grew too. They now make large kites over 15 metres high and 11 metres wide weighing over 800 kilos. These kites take 1500 sheets of paper to cover and need over a hundred people to carry and fly them. This kite is called (because of its size) the "100 Mat Kite" (the Tami Mat is the standard size floor mat used in every Japanese home
Besides making some of the largest kites in the world the Japanese also have a fascination for miniature kites and for hundreds of years have been making small kites some of which are only a few mm high. Retired Samuri Warriors used to make very small kites from straw and tissue paper and fly them over the rising air from hot cooking stoves.
Sadly kite flying is on the decline in most parts of Japan due to so many high buildings and overhead power cables. You would now have to drive out of Tokyo for over 2 hours to find a suitable place to fly a kite. The old Kite Masters are dying and their sons and daughters are not prepared to work the long hours with poor pay. The want to become engineers or work in the city.
Kite apprentices had to train for approximately 4 to 5 years without pay. It took 2 to 3 years just to learn how to draw a straight line and circles with a brush correctly. It is mainly the hobbyists who make and fly the traditional kites nowadays
A Japanese dictionary dated 981 AD was the first to record the Japanese word for kite and used the characters for "Kami Tobi" meaning paper hawk - which suggests that the first kites were bird shaped.
The Japanese absorbed much of the Chinese culture but they developed their own distinctive kite designs and traditions. They were used from earliest times for practical purposes such as in the construction of many shrines and temples in Japan where large kites were used to lift tiles and other materials up to workers on the roof tops.
An early example of man-carrrying was told of a 12th Century warrior Minamoto-no-Tametomo who was exiled to an island along with his son and saddened by his son's lonely existence constructed a large kite on which he made his escape to the mainland.
A Japanese thief used a man-carrying kite to steal the gold scales from an ornamental dolphin on the roof of the Castle of Nagoya and was only caught because he bragged of his daring deed. He and his family were boiled in oil.
It was in the Edo period 1603 - 1867 when Japan was closed to all foreigners that most of the beautiful Japanese kites we know today were developed. There are about 130 different styles and types of kites, each region having its own unique shape. They are normally decorated with characters from Japanese folklore, mythology or have some religious or symbolic meaning.
All are painted with bright coloured natural dyes, sumi (black ink) and constructed from washi paper (handmade paper) and bamboo or where bamboo if difficult to grow cypress wood is used instead. The bamboo frame is called the bones and the paper covering is known as the skin.
The popular name now for a Japanese kite is Tako - thought to be a play on the name - Tokyo where kites were very popular. The Japanese even have a word in their vocabulary "Tako-Kichi" which means, "kite crazy".
Traditionally kites are flown on boy's day May 5th, (the 5th day of the 5th month) at religious festivals, public holidays and New Year. At Harvest Festival kites are flown with stalks of rice attached as a symbolic offering of thanks for a good crop. Others are decorated with the face of a demon and would act as a talisman against evil. One of the most famous kite festivals is Hamamatsu where kite teams battle against each other whilst over 2,000,000 spectators look on.
Congratulation kites are still given to first born sons. Kites with paintings of folk heros or gods are believed to protect and guide the new-born child into adulthood, Fukusuke the large headed dwarf will bring good luck and some carry long life symbols such as the crane or tortoise, The most popular design is Kinorta - a small boy who was left by his parents in a mountain forest and raised by bears - he grew up to be wise and very strong. Kinorta is often painted with a carp, another symbol of strength and bravery because the carp must swim up stream against the current to lay its eggs.
The Edo kite is one of the best-known Japanese kites and takes it name from Edo - the old name for Tokyo. Its design is rectangular and multi bridled with elaborate and detailed paintings of famous warriors, Kabuki actors, priests and geisha girls. The majority are painted in the Ukiyo-e style - a reference to the very popular woodblock pictures of the mid 18th century.
Tiezo Hashimoto was one of the most famous and last professional kitemakers in Tokyo. He was made a living National Treasure for his work in the traditional arts. Like most Japanese artists he always left the painting of the pupils of the eyes until last. The picture is not considered to have life until they are added. His wife was responsible for wrapping a thin piece of paper around the bamboo spars in order that the paper sail (the skin) would stick firmly to the frame (the skeleton). This is the sign of a well made kite.Sadly he died in 1991 aged 87 and his kites are now highly prized by collectors.
Like most Japanese kites, Edo kites are flown without tails. A commonly held belief in Japan is that if a kite requires a tail in order to fly it is not well designed - although in strong winds tails are added.
Very big kites have always held a fascination for the Japanese and there are still a couple of very popular kite festivals in Japan where giant kites are flown. During the 2nd week of June two teams from the city of Shirone battle against each other from opposite banks of the river with kites measuring 7 metres x 5 metres. When they crash or are dragged into the water the paper covering becomes very wet and along with the bright paint pigments dissolves, making the water a wonderful colour, leaving only a skeleton bamboo frame.
One of Japan's largest kites was the Wan Wan kite with an overall width of 24 metres. One kite made in 1914 weighed 2.8 tons and required 150 - 200 men to fly it. The tails were 500 feet long and like the flying line were made from the anchor ropes of ships. Sometimes the winds were too strong to pull them in and had to be left anchored until the wind subsided allowing the kite to come down of its own accord. Sadly the large WanWans are no longer made.
The largest kites flown today are in Hoshubana on Boys Day - May 5th. Approximately 200 years ago the local Buddhist Priest told the local farmers that if they flew kites in the sky (where the rain, wind and lightening came from) this would please the Gods and have a calming influence on the weather and would make it kinder for their production of silkworms. The farmers made small kites at first and as their yields grew bigger year by year making them more prosperous the kites grew too. They now make large kites over 15 metres high and 11 metres wide weighing over 800 kilos. These kites take 1500 sheets of paper to cover and need over a hundred people to carry and fly them. This kite is called (because of its size) the "100 Mat Kite" (the Tami Mat is the standard size floor mat used in every Japanese home
Besides making some of the largest kites in the world the Japanese also have a fascination for miniature kites and for hundreds of years have been making small kites some of which are only a few mm high. Retired Samuri Warriors used to make very small kites from straw and tissue paper and fly them over the rising air from hot cooking stoves.
Sadly kite flying is on the decline in most parts of Japan due to so many high buildings and overhead power cables. You would now have to drive out of Tokyo for over 2 hours to find a suitable place to fly a kite. The old Kite Masters are dying and their sons and daughters are not prepared to work the long hours with poor pay. The want to become engineers or work in the city.
Kite apprentices had to train for approximately 4 to 5 years without pay. It took 2 to 3 years just to learn how to draw a straight line and circles with a brush correctly. It is mainly the hobbyists who make and fly the traditional kites nowadays
GO
Go is a board game for two players, noted for being rich in strategic complexity despite its simple rules.
The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones (playing pieces, now usually made of glass or plastic) on the vacant intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines. The object of the game is to control a larger portion of the board than the opponent. A stone or a group of stones is captured and removed if it has no empty adjacent intersections, the result of being completely surrounded by stones of the opposing color.
Placing stones close together helps them support each other and avoid capture. On the other hand, placing stones far apart creates influence across more of the board. The strategic difficulty of the game stems from finding a balance between such conflicting interests. Players strive to serve both defensive and offensive purposes and choose between tactical urgency and strategic plans.
Go originated in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago, and although it is not known exactly when the game was invented, by the 3rd century BC it was already a popular pastime, as indicated by a reference to the game in the Analects of Confucius. Archaeological evidence shows that the early game was played on a board with a 17×17 grid, but by the time that the game spread to Korea and Japan in about the 7th century boards with a 19×19 grid had become standard.
The game is most popular in East Asia, but has gained some popularity in other parts of the world in recent years. A conservative estimate places the number of Go players worldwide at approximately 27 million.[1] Go reached the West through Japan, which is why it is commonly known internationally by its Japanese name.
Go was introduced to both Japan and Korea—where it is called baduk somewhere between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, and was popular among the higher classes. In Korea, the game was developed into the variant called Sunjang baduk by the 16th century. Sunjang baduk became the main variant played in Korea until the end of the 19th century.
In Japan—where it is called go or igo the game became popular at the Japanese imperial court in the 8th century, and among the general public by the 13th century. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu re-established Japan's unified national government. In the same year, he assigned the then-best player in Japan, a Buddhist monk named Nikkai (né Kanō Yosaburo, 1559), to the post of Godokoro. Nikkai took the name Honinbo Sansa and founded the Honinbo Go school.[27] Several competing schools were founded soon after. These officially recognized and subsidized Go schools greatly developed the level of play and introduced the dan/kyu style system of ranking players.
Players from the four schools (Honinbo, Yasui, Inoue and Hayashi) competed in the annual castle games, played in the presence of the shogun.
The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones (playing pieces, now usually made of glass or plastic) on the vacant intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines. The object of the game is to control a larger portion of the board than the opponent. A stone or a group of stones is captured and removed if it has no empty adjacent intersections, the result of being completely surrounded by stones of the opposing color.
Placing stones close together helps them support each other and avoid capture. On the other hand, placing stones far apart creates influence across more of the board. The strategic difficulty of the game stems from finding a balance between such conflicting interests. Players strive to serve both defensive and offensive purposes and choose between tactical urgency and strategic plans.
Go originated in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago, and although it is not known exactly when the game was invented, by the 3rd century BC it was already a popular pastime, as indicated by a reference to the game in the Analects of Confucius. Archaeological evidence shows that the early game was played on a board with a 17×17 grid, but by the time that the game spread to Korea and Japan in about the 7th century boards with a 19×19 grid had become standard.
The game is most popular in East Asia, but has gained some popularity in other parts of the world in recent years. A conservative estimate places the number of Go players worldwide at approximately 27 million.[1] Go reached the West through Japan, which is why it is commonly known internationally by its Japanese name.
Go was introduced to both Japan and Korea—where it is called baduk somewhere between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, and was popular among the higher classes. In Korea, the game was developed into the variant called Sunjang baduk by the 16th century. Sunjang baduk became the main variant played in Korea until the end of the 19th century.
In Japan—where it is called go or igo the game became popular at the Japanese imperial court in the 8th century, and among the general public by the 13th century. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu re-established Japan's unified national government. In the same year, he assigned the then-best player in Japan, a Buddhist monk named Nikkai (né Kanō Yosaburo, 1559), to the post of Godokoro. Nikkai took the name Honinbo Sansa and founded the Honinbo Go school.[27] Several competing schools were founded soon after. These officially recognized and subsidized Go schools greatly developed the level of play and introduced the dan/kyu style system of ranking players.
Players from the four schools (Honinbo, Yasui, Inoue and Hayashi) competed in the annual castle games, played in the presence of the shogun.
Japanese traditional toys: Hanetsuki
Hanetsuki is a Japanese traditional game, similar to badminton except there is no net, and is played with a rectangular wooden paddle, called a hagoita, and a brightly-coloured shuttlecock called hane.
Often played by girls during the New Year, the game can be played in two fashions, by one person attempting to keep the shuttlecock aloft as long as possible, or by the two people batting it back and forth. Girls who fail to hit the shuttlecock get marked on the face with India ink. Traditionally, the longer the shuttlecock remains in the air, the greater protection from mosquitoes the players will receive during the coming year.
The game was already played by aristocrats during Muromachi period but has been generalized among population since the end of Edo period. Hanetsuki was greatly played during a New Year festival until recently.
The popularity of hanetsuki has waned in the past century, and now the paddles are largely appreciated more for their artistic beauty, rather than their use in play.
The hagoita is made of wood, a wooden paddle-like bat abd the shuttlecock is made with soapberry seed and feathers.
Often played by girls during the New Year, the game can be played in two fashions, by one person attempting to keep the shuttlecock aloft as long as possible, or by the two people batting it back and forth. Girls who fail to hit the shuttlecock get marked on the face with India ink. Traditionally, the longer the shuttlecock remains in the air, the greater protection from mosquitoes the players will receive during the coming year.
The game was already played by aristocrats during Muromachi period but has been generalized among population since the end of Edo period. Hanetsuki was greatly played during a New Year festival until recently.
The popularity of hanetsuki has waned in the past century, and now the paddles are largely appreciated more for their artistic beauty, rather than their use in play.
The hagoita is made of wood, a wooden paddle-like bat abd the shuttlecock is made with soapberry seed and feathers.
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