Master Craftsman Prepares Hand-Painted Carp Streamers for Children’s Day in May; Craftsman Creates 60 Sets of Streamers Every Year

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:17 JST, March 20, 2024

Takeshi Takada, 69, adds the final touch to a koinobori carp streamer for Children’s Day on May 5 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. Production of Sakai carp streamers, a traditional craft since the Meiji era (1867-1912), reaches its busiest time of the year in March. Takada, the sixth-generation head of Takagi workshop has been certified by the governor of Osaka as a master creator of the prefecture’s traditional craft. He paints about 60 sets of streamers by hand every year using more than 20 types of custom-made brushes. Their lengths range from about 25 centimeters to more than five meters.