Every year in the middle of December, thousands of people flock to Tokyo's Asakusa Sensoji Temple for the annual hagoita market to buy oshie hagoita, a decorative battledore that serves as both a New Year's decoration and a good-luck charm.
The paddles, decorated with elaborate cloth figures, depict scenes from kabuki plays and reflect iki, the chic, popular culture of the Edo Period. Popular images include a geisha in kimono with downcast eyes, a tattooed firefighter wearing a headband and holding a banner, or a brightly dressed princess with elaborate hair ornaments.
"Like the way it hits a shuttlecock (and sends it flying away), the battledore is believed to drive away evil spirits," says Yukio Minamikawa, 70, a second-generation oshie hagoita artisan, at his at-home workshop in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward.