Racket hagoita
A hagoita 羽子板 racket, for the Japanese badminton-like game hanetsuki 羽根突き, which is played without a net using a ball made of colourful bird feathers and the black seeds of the mukuroji 黒い玉 tree, from the Sapindales family. The game is especially popular with girls at New Year, as it is supposed to protect against misfortune. Beautifully decorated rackets have ornamental and collector value. They are often presented as a gift at the birth of a girl.
Hagoita rackets often depict figures from the Kabuki 歌舞伎 theatre. The image here shows the famous samurai Yoshitsune 義経 and his faithful comrade Benkei 弁慶 from the popular story Kanjinchō 勧進帳. (MV)
Material description: wood, paper
Manufacturing technique: wood pasted with printed paper
Dimensions: length: 14.4 cm, width: 3.7 cm
No. of parts: 1
Current owner: Celje Regional Museum
Date of the last acquisition: 1957–1960
Previous owners and periods of ownership: Alma M. Karlin, Thea Schreiber Gammelin, Celje Regional Museum
Object condition, handling and damage: well preserved
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