Hagoita-Ichi

Hagoita-Ichi is a traditional Japanese fair organized between the 16th and 19th of December in the Senso-ji Temple located in part of Tokyo called Asakusa. The main attraction of this very popular fair is a rectangular wooden racket known as Hagoita. Hagoita was once used to play a traditional game called Hanetsuki. The game was similar to badminton but there was no net. It was played by girls during time of Japanese New Year.

Hagoita-Ichi

It is kind of cute to know that after missing a hit a black ink stripe was drawn on girl's face. The opponent with face filled with stripes lost the match. Hagoita rackets are nowadays sold as souvenirs and good luck charms. They are beautifully decorated with Japanese washi paper and fine colourful fabrics. Traditional Kabuki and Sumo characters appear on many items. Rackets with contemporary music and other stars can also be found.