Oshie Hagoita Paddles Wave in Good Luck; Kabuki Actors, Kimono-Clad Women Brought to Life with Cotton

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:40 JST, November 18, 2023

An artisan makes an oshie hagoita paddle, a New Year’s good luck charm, at a hagoita firm in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, during the busiest season of the year. Filled with cotton to create a three-dimensional effect, the decoration depicts women in kimonos and kabuki actors. Mizuno Seisakusho, which has been in business for more than 90 years, produces about 10,000 hagoita per year, ranging in length from 18 to 180 centimeters.