A popular sport to do in the new year in Japan is Hanetsuki (臂醇?合?????).
Hanetsuki is like badminton without a net, played with a square-shaped wooden racket and a birdie made with Sapindaceae seed.? Two players continue a rally, and the one who fails to hit back loses.? The winner can draw paintings on the losers face with Sumi (紜?, Japanese ink used for calligraphy)
Actually, Hanetsuki is not as popular as it used to be, alike many other traditions.? However,?the wooden racket, Hagoita (臂遵?????), is still popular for displaying?at home.
Hagoita is usually decorated beautifully.? Most of them are painted with lacqer, and some have steric silk collages (these tend to be expensive, so probably no one will use it for playing Hanetsuki).
Hagoita are generally sold at?Hagoita-ichi (臂遵????水??, Hagoita fair),? in December. In?Tokyo, Sensoji (羌????絲?) is famous for its Hagoita-ichi, which had been held every year since the Edo period.
If you are interested in the history of Hagoita, there is a small museum in Tokyo, which displays Hagoita from the Edo, Meiji, Taisho, Showa period.
Hagoita Shiryokan (臂遵????粋?????蕕?)
Address: 25-43-5, Mukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Open: 10:00-17:00 on Thur., Fri., Sat. (Closed period Oct.1-Jan.20)
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