Kite Lovers' Passion Soars Between Art Form

Mr. FUKUOKA Masami

Over two days in May, tens of thousands of people from across the nation and beyond converge on Ishikawa Prefecture for the annual Uchinada World Kite Festival. The mass turn out is a sign that interest in kites is as strong as it's ever been.

Kite lovers like those who gather at Uchinada the choice of kites is staggering. From highly-decorative Edo-dako to distinctive hata (kite) and even kites that represent the signs of the oriental zodiac, it seems that almost each region of Japan has its own distinctive kite or variation of a traditional design. For younger enthusiasts though, sports kites are the kites of choice, according to FUKUOKA Masami of the Japan Kite Association (JKA), an organization with some 2,000 members that aims to ensure kite culture is passed on to future generations.

Buying sports kites is easy and it doesn?t have to be expensive to find one that will be fun to fly. Getting hold of a traditional Japanese kite on the other hand can be harder and usually entails having one made by a veteran kite maker or making one yourself like many enthusiasts do. However, one of the appeals of kite flying is that as long as you have a kite that can fly, you can enjoy yourself. As Fukuoka points out "you can enjoy kites whether you buy one for 600 yen or 100,000 yen. The way to enjoy kites differs from person to person."

When it comes down to aesthetics, Japanese kites make a far greater impact than their sporting counterparts. And there are few better places to see them up close than at the Kite Museum in Nihonbashi, the home of the JKA. The tiny museum bursts with some 3,000 kites that range from a collection of large rectangular kites that grab your attention upon entering with a deluge of aged reds, blues and oranges to novelty kites such as flying birds and ships.

While the art work on Japanese kites like those at the museum is perhaps their most distinctive feature, kites arenz't judged on art work alone. As Fukuoka explains, "Basically, a good kite is a kite that flies well." "Good art work, novel design and craftsmanship," he adds, "all enhance a kite's qualities, but if a kite doesn't fly well, not even the best art work can hide its flaws."

Kites have a long history in Japan, first appearing somewhere between the sixth and eight centuries when it is thought they were brought over from China and Korea and used primarily in religious festivals. They have since developed into both an art form and a relaxing pastime while along the way being used ingeniously by men such as KAKINOKI Kinsuke, a 16th-century robber who legend has it tied himself to a kite so he could float up and steal the gold leaf decorating the tops of castles. Fortunately for kite lovers, kites have survived far longer than Kinsuke did. He was apparently boiled in oil along with the rest of his family for his crimes.

The work of groups like the JKA, who play a key role in introducing kites to future generations by providing events for children such as kite making classes and parent-child kite festivals, should ensure that kites continue to thrive as they have done for centuries and guarantee that the Uchinada World Kite Festival will keep attracting kite lovers in their thousands for some time to come.

For festival information in both English and Japanese, visit the Japan Kite Association's website:
www.tako.gr.jp

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