Pop Japan

Hanetsuki  is a traditional Japanese New Year's game. It is played using a hagoita, or a wooden paddle, together with a hane or the shuttle. It is quite similar to the game badminton, but is played without a net in the middle. Though the game is not that popular to this generation, the hagoita paddle has actually become a collectible item.

In Sensoji Temple, the Hagoita Market is being held during mid-December, wherein they sell wooden paddles. They come in different sizes and most of them feature portraits of kabuki actors or Edo ladies. But there are also portraits of Japanese artists and even Japanese Prime Ministers. 

Photo by kusakabe kimbei  Licensed by Creative Commons.
(Public Domain)

Tags: sports, Japan, Hanetsuki, Traditional new years game, badminton, hagoita, hane, hagoita market, kabuki, edo