Description

Hagoita are wooden paddles from Japan. They are used to hit shuttlecocks in a game called Hanetsukim, a traditional Japanese pastime played during the New Year. The paddles are decorated with various images, sometimes executed in relief, of women in kimono, kabuki actors, and so on. This paddle, decorated in intricate silk relief, shows a kabuki actor holding string that links to a bald headed figure (puppet?) at the bottom of the paddle. Japanese people think playing hanetsuki is a way to drive away evil spirits because the movement of the hagoita is similar to the harau action (a Japanese expression meaning “to drive away”). Thus playing hanetsuki with hagoita is often used as a charm against evil.