• About
  • Featured
  • Home
 
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
12 years of travel throughout Japan
Discover Japan through the eyes of a seasoned traveler
  • A Japan photo per day
  • Travel in Japan
  • Customs & traditions
  • Japanese food
  • Japanese history
  •  Anime & otaku
  • Did you know?

Good luck charms for the New Year, Hagoita

Sat, December 17, 2016, by Muza-chan

Hagoita are wooden paddles evolved from the ones used for hanetsuki, a popular Japanese game similar to badminton. Among the most popular Japanese New Year good luck charms, thay sold at fairs around mid-December, much the same way as the similar kumade.

The modern hagoita are true art objects, being covered by sophisticated 3D models made of Japanese paper, silk, wood and metal ornaments, representing a wide variety of characters, from traditional theater plays and legendary kabuki actors to geisha and sumo wrestlers…

How is that a wooden paddle is considered a lucky charm? Because according to tradition, you can “hit the bad luck” with them…

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Hagoita
Hagoita
If you want to license my photos for commercial use, please contact me

EXIF Info:

Nikon D90
Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/3.5
Shutter Speed: 1/200s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 640
Nagoya Midland Square Christmas 2016
Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Nagoya Midland Square Christmas 2016



  • Muza-chan mascot
    • # Kyoto travel

    • # Travel tips for visiting Japan

    • # Zen gardens

    • # Tokyo travel

    •  
    • # Modern Japanese architecture

    • # Japanese gardens

    • # Japanese manhole covers

    •  
    • # Castles in Japan

    • # Traditional Japanese house

    • # Trains in Japan

    •  
    • # Night time photos from Japan

    • # Sakura, cherry blossoms

    • # Traditional Japanese architecture

  • Traveled areas 2007-2017
  • Creative Commons License
    Photos and text by Muza-chan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    If you quote or use photos from this site, you must give appropriate credit and a link to the site:
    "Based on a work at muza-chan.net"
    Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting us (privacy policy).