Comment - A beauty and a girl play hanetsuki, a badminton-like game often played around New Year's Day. The feathered shuttlecock flies high in the air, seen alongside a blue kite. Aloft, the kites soar above the clouds in the evening sun hinted by with a decent bokashi shading. A green conifere and the rooftop of a straw thatched house emerge above the clouds. Three kites float in the slow evening breeze. A blue edo kaku kanji kite with the unusual kanji character "寳". Depending on the Japanese reading, the character reads, "ho" or "Takara", meaning "Whoa! That's a surprise", or maybe "treasure", or simply standing for a name. A reddish kanji kite floats to the right (not read). The floppy kite tails indicate a gentle breeze. This is also indicated by the non-tautened kite line of the yakko kite above.

The title of the print ("Children's Play", "Kodomo Yu", " 子供遊") is written upper left, next to the series title.


Series - Five Festivals (Gosekku, 五節句)


Artist - see Biography


Signature - Gokitei Sadafusa-ga (painted by Gokitei Sadafusa, 五亀亭 貞房画) lower left; above is an oval nanushi censors seal (Fu/Shin, 普) from date Koka 2 (1845)


Publisher -  presumably Chisaya (ちさや) (seal lower right)

Image Size - 23.5 X 33cm  (9 1/4" x 13")


Condition - single sheet; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical aiban (small ôban tate-e);