Kodomo asobi gajo, (子供遊び画帖, Children's Games)
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 1888
Maker: Kobayashi Eitaku (小林永濯)
Engraver: Kimura Tokutaro (木村徳太郎)
Object number: O.48.1
DescriptionChildren playing Hanetsuki (羽根突き, Japanese shuttlecock). The racket they are holding is called a hagoita (羽子板), which was also customarily given to females on New Year's Day to ward off evil spirits and evil spells. In the Edo period, luxury models with motifs of Kabuki actors or decorated with gold or silver foil also appeared. Hagoita thus had a variety of roles: as a tool for sports and games, as a protection against bad luck, and as a work of art. Hagoita were also popular in the Meiji era, when this print was produced.
