"This book is about kites I have seen, kite makers I have spoken with, and kite festivals I have attended."--Prologue.

The first book ever to present a clear guide to making 15 traditional Japanese kites unique in color and shape. Also introduces the history and the artistry of Japanses kites.

Color woodblock prints vibrantly convey the popular urban culture of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Edo, now called Tokyo. In a book that brings together two of Edo's most colorful traditions, prints and kites, John Stevenson celebrates the charm and significance of the mass-produced but often elegant broadsheets known as ukiyo-e. The term means "pictures of the floating world," a pun on a Buddhist concept of the fleeting world of desires that is, coincidentally but poetically, appropriate for a study of kites borne on the wind. Edo artists experimented with woodblock-printing techniques during the eighteenth century as kite-flying became increasingly popular. Each influenced the other: kite-makers copied woodblock-print designs to decorate their creations of bamboo, cloth, and paper, and printers used images of kites in their designs. The prints from the Skinner Collection illustrated in this book are products of Tokugawa Edo (1603-1867) and Meiji Tokyo (1868-1912). They record highlights of the Kabuki theater, brothels, and Sumo wrestling, enthusiastically presenting star actors and celebrity courtesans and vignettes of everyday life. These images capture for us the character of life as it was lived and imagined by the printmakers and kite-fliers of Old Japan. It seems that everyone thrills to the sight of a kite straining upward into the sky, and woodblock prints are perhaps the most accessible form of traditional Japanese visual culture; kite aficionados and lovers of Japanese art alike will be delighted by this study.

Kids will learn how to make colorful kites while exploring Asian culture and history with this easy-to-follow craft book for kids. Fun to build and exciting to fly, kites are a universal expression of joy and wonder for enthusiasts of all ages. Asian Kites for Kids features kite building projects that are beautiful and functional--ideal for teachers, camp counselors, parents, and budding young kite makers themselves. Kite making is a traditional Asian craft and an essential aspect of folklore that uses everyday materials to create beautiful works of art. In fact, kites are just as much fun to build as they are to fly! The colorful, easy-to-follow instructions will have readers building and flying fifteen different models from across Asia, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea. With Asian Kites for Kids readers will learn to build: A Butterfly kite from China A Cobra kite from Thailand A Mini kite from Malaysia A Shield kite from Korea An Octopus kite from Japan and much more! This book includes sections on safety, the anatomy of kites, troubleshooting tips, as well as an index of online retailers and resources. Spend hours of fun with your kids and friends crafting handmade Asian kites, and then watching your original creations soar.

An interdisciplinary exploration into the history of kite making and flying.

A CARP FOR KIMIKO is the story of a young girl's struggle against the strong current of tradition. Every year on Children's Day in Japan a kite in the shape of a carp is flown for each boy in the family. Kimiko is a little girl who desperately wants an orange, black, and white calico carp kite of her own to fly on this holiday. Kimiko's parents remind her that there is a holiday just for girls?Doll's Festival Day, but this does not stop Kimiko from dreaming about and wishing for her very own carp. The magical ending achieves the impossible?Kimiko gets what she longs for without breaking tradition. Katherine Roundtree's beautiful illustrations evoke the wonder and excitement of childhood, which will charm readers of all cultures.

Kids will learn how to make colorful kites while exploring Asian culture and history with this easy-to-follow crafts for kids book. The Asian Arts & Crafts for Creative Kids series is the first series, aimed at readers ages 7-12, that provides a fun and educational introduction to Asian culture and art. Through hands on projects readers will explore each art—engaging in activities to gain a better understanding of each form. In this volume, children will learn to how to make a kite. Kite making is a unique craft—with projects that are beautiful, functional, and fun! The colorful, easy-to-follow instructions in Asian Kites will have you building—and flying—fifteen different kites from countries all across Asia, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea. The full-color instructions make it easy to create these beautiful kites out of common materials and the resource guide in the back lists plenty of places to purchase supplies. You'll learn to build: Butterfly kite from China Cobra kite from Thailand Mini kite from Malaysia Shield kite from Korea an octopus kit from Japan And more! Fun to build and exciting to fly—this book brings a whole new meaning to the term "Go fly a kite!"

Maori kites are enjoying a remarkable cultural resurgence. In his introduction to his revised and expanded edition of the classic work on this art form, Professor Hirini Moko Mead says Bob Maysmor's book has played a valuable role in the revival of interest in kite-making. Te Manu Tukutuku covers the history and tradition, techniques and materials of the ancient kites and describes how contemporary artists and kite-makers have further developed the art. Also included are easy instructions on how you can make a Maori kite.

In India, kite-flying is pursued with a passionate intensity and dedication. This text follows the track of kites across the Indian sky as a pathway into the heart of the subcontinent. Kites become the vehicle for profound contact with the minds of their makers and flyers.

After seeing the disparity between the conditions of her father's palace and the city beyond its walls, the Emperor's daughter has the royal kitemaker build a huge kite to take her away from it all.