*~ Japanese Traditional Toys ~*

I'm the daughter of a kindergarden teacher...so when me and my mom go shopping we always end up drooling in front of the toys store ...yeah, it's true...my mom usualy goes to buy herself a new pair of shoes and comes home with more toys for the kids in kindergarden Sometimes that makes me angry...but I guess that's a sign that she loves her work

So I was curious about japanese toys...the traditional ones ...I wondered how did the japanese kids played a long time ago




Playing with menko cards is similar to the recent (about five or so years ago) American fad of playing with Pongs. Menko cards, usually made of cardboard in a rectangular or circular shape and adorned with a nice image, are thrown down on top of each other. One acquires an opponents card by flipping it over when throwing down his own card. This game has existed in Japan since the 1700s.



The history of the tako (kite) dates back to the Nara period (649-794) when Chinese monks travelled to Japan, bringing with them this amazing toy. During the Edo period (1603-1867), when Japan was closed to outside civilization, tako artistry truly flourished. Approximately 130 different styles of kites exist, with a unique shape representing each region of Japan. Today, the beautifully dyed tako's are still given as presents to first born sons and flown annually on Boy's Day (the 5th day of the 5th month of the year) and at religious festivals, public holiday and New Year celebrations. At the Hamamatsu festival, millions of spectators watch as tako teams battle against each other in the air.



Similar to the game of badminton, hanetsuki is a traditional game played with a paddle (called the hagoita, shown above) and shuttle. However, no net is used when playing the game. The popularity of hanetsuki has waned in the past century, and now the paddles are largely appreciate more for their artistic beauty rather than their use in play.



Koma, or spinning tops, have long been a popular toy in Japan. They date back to the 8th century, coming to Japan by way of the Koma in the Korean Peninsula. (we have something like that here, in Romania, but it's called "titirez"...unfortunately kids aren't apreciating this anymore)



Intricate, beautiful shapes are constructed without the use of scissors or glue. The crane is perhaps the most well known origami structure, and is generally considered the masterpiece of the art. A senbazuru is created by linking together a thousand cranes by a thread, and is traditionally given to a sick person as a wish for a quick recovery from illness.



A kendama is a Japanese toy that consists of a hammer-like object with a ball connected to it by a string. The ball (called the tama) has a hole in it, and it rests on a spike (the ken) on the top of the kendama. The two sides of the "hammer" are concave dishes; one is smaller than the other. The larger side is called the oozara (large dish) and the other is the kozara (small dish).There is also a middle position dish at the bottom of the handle called the chuzara (smallest, middle position dish) and tougher to play with than the other two dishes.
The basic object is to throw the ball upwards and land it on one of the concave dish parts of the "hammer", as well as landing the ball on the spike. More advanced techniques involve combination moves, different landing positions and even freestyle combinations.