5 traditional Japanese Toys:
- Hagoita:
Hagoita is a traditional Japanese toy also called hanetsuki, which is made up of soapberry seeds and bird feathers. It looks like badminton without a net which hits shuttlecocks back and forth. The paddles are decorated with the faces of women in kimono, kabuki, and other actors. Former habitat believed that the movement of the hagoita is similar to the hard action by which they can drive away evil spirits.
During the Muromachi period (1336-1573) from the Ming Dynasty, China this toy was introduced in Japan. Therefore, this is a 500 years old game and their paddles are examples of great artwork. The objective of the game is to keep the ball in the air if the player hit the shuttlecock to touch the ground then he would be penalized with a mark on his face with a spot of ink.
2. Daruma Otoshi:
Daruma represents Buddhist monk Bodhidharma; it was claimed that his arms and legs were atrophied after he spent nine years of meditating. A Japanese traditional red and colorful design circular blocks topped by an angry bearded wooden doll called Daruma Otoshi. Japanese consider it as a talisman of good luck and perseverance. This toy has also been commercialized by many Buddhist temples to use alongside the setting of goals.
The player has to stack multi-colored circular blocks topped by a woollen bearded doll called daruma. After stacking all the blocks, the player has to use a small hammer to knock one after one block out from down without causing it to fall over.
3. Taketombo:
An ancient toy called Taketombo developed around 400 B.C. which is also called a “bamboo dragonfly”, or “bamboo-copter”. It looks like a helicopter that flies up when its shaft is rapidly spun. It is made up of bamboo and its thickness and angle determine how well it can fly high.
It is a very thin stick with a rotor at the top, the player has to spin the toy with his or their hand and release it, sending it high through the air.
4. Koma:
Koma is a spinning top, wrapped tightly with a rope and a player has to pull the string before throwing it on the ground. It then spins for a few seconds or minutes keeping it balanced. During the Edo period the playing of Koma was popularised.
With time Koma has updated itself, which is now known as Beyblade.
5. Menko:
During the Edo period, Menko which was initially known as men’uchi was popularised among Japanese people. It is a card game played among Japanese people where each card is made up of thick paper printed on both sides with pictures of manga and anime.
One player puts down a make on the ground and another player hits the menko on the ground with his menko. If the Menko flips then that person gets the Menko. The rule of the game is that if someone loses then he loosed his entire Menko cards too.