Japanese Kites
Historical Traditional Kites
Japan was introduced kites by Buddhist missionaries and were used for religious purposes...Kites
were flown with stalks of rice as symbolic offerings go thanks hoping for a year of good crops.
Kites designed with demons were also used to protect new-borns from evil.
It was a strong Japanese belief that if kites needed a tail to fly it was not designed well enough,
only for strong winds were tails added on.
Congratulation kite given to new borns to protect them.
Demon painted kite made to protect & guard.
Contemporary Japanese Kites
Today the religious significance of kites has been replaces by secular pleasures.
To actually fly a kite in Japan you have to drive several miles out of Tokyo to find a place open enough to fly. Some older people may still accept the direction in which kite has fallen as prediction of the success/failure of the rice crops that year...But typically today they are only used in kite festivals several times throughout the year.
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