Japanese Kites

Kristen gave me two miniature kites from Japan for Christmas. There are at least 61 different styles of kites in Japan. The ones she gave me are some of the more popular shapes. I decided to create shadow boxes to display them in. Although it is hard to tell from these photos, I placed a picture of several kites in the background and then suspended the kites in the front of the frame. They are really quite pretty if you see them in person.




ROKKAKU(SANJO)

Rokkaku means hexagon, and is famous for its excellent flight feature, stability and simplicity of the construction among Japanese kites. They are typically called Roks. This kite was bone in Sanjo, Niigata prefecture, in the northern center of Japan and is also called Sanjo-Rokkaku. Today, this type of kite is made by variety of materials and seen around the world. These kites are taller than they are wide and their cross spars are traditionally bowed. Any size can be built and its flight feature is very stable at any wind speed.

YAKKO

YAKKO-dako is one of the most popular kites in Japan. It is also know as a footman kite and depicts the lowest-ranking retainer of a samurai household, a person mocked by commoners and made famous on the Kabuki stage in the Yakko-odori, footman dance. The kite usually represents a favorite Kabuki. The T-shape of the Yakko may be the oldest kite shape in Japan. It is very difficult to fly without tails, so children attach a 2-4m length of tails made by cut newspaper or other tape.