WorldKite
MuseumHIGASHIOMIOODAKO
HALL

Opening Hours 9:00-17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
Closed on Wednesday, the day after public holidays, the fourth Tuesday, the Year-end and New Year holidays

Admission Elementary / Junior High School Students 150 Yen
High School / University Students, Adults 300 Yen
Access By Public Transportations
JR Omihachiman Sta.
>>> Ohmi Railway Yokaichi Sta. (17 min.)>>> Chokotto Bus or Ohmi Bus (5 min.)

By Car (Free Parking Available)
7 min. from Yokaichi IC (Meishin Expwy.)
3-5, Yokaichi Higashihonmachi, Higashiomi-shi, Shiga 527-0025Tel 0748-23-0081 Fax 0748-23-1860 Web oodako.net
Paper Folding Puzzle (Origami Puzzle)
You can make 3 different pictures by weaving this leaflet.

FLOORGUIDE

1FJapanese Kites
Exhibition
The materials for Japanese kites,
washi ( Japanese paper) andbamboo, have long been abundant in Japan. Therefore we have
many kites with various shapes
and appearances. Around 500
traditional Japanese kites are on
display here.

2F

Higashiomi Oodako
Exhibition HallAt the main floor exhibition hall, you canlearn about the history of magnificent giant
kites through displays of 20-Tatami giant
kites, miniatures of giant kites in the past,
panels of how to make a giant kite, recorded
photographs, and many other documents. Anauthentic 100-Tatami giant kite (13m × 12m)
hangs on the front wall and you can enjoy amovie of a flying giant kite on a 100 inch
screen in the movie room.

World Kites
Exhibition (Kites Passage)
Walking through the passage, you can see
around 100 precious kites from all over theworld. Kites are varied in their shapes andthe methods to fly them, and many kites
represent the ethnic culture of their nation.

History of Higashiomi Oodako (Giant Kite)
It is said that people started to fly giant kites in the middle of the Edo period (16031868), originally in May to celebrate the children's festival. At first small kites were flown,
but with the competitive spirit of local Omi people, the development of techniques, and thestrong wind from Lake Biwa, the kites got bigger and bigger. The biggest kite ever flown
was the 240-Tatami giant kite in 1882 (Meiji 15).
The secrets of giant kites were passed down by local people, and in 1953, the Yokaichi
Oodako Preservation Society (now the Higashiomi Oodako Preservation Society) wasformed. "The custom of giant kite flying in Omi-Yokaichi" is designated as a national intangible folk cultural property.
Thanks to our predecessors' innovation of a special method to roll and carry giant kites,
nowadays giant kites are flown into the skies of the U.K., France, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and around the world.

Important Features ofHigashiomi Oodako
There are three special features of Higashiomi giant kites:
Nagamaki: rolling up a kite to carry it.
Kirinuki: cutting part of a kite to reduce wind resistance.
Hanjimon: a puzzle or wordplay drawn on a kite.
Hanjimon represents some message with the combinationof pictures and a Japanese letter drawn on a kite. On theupper half of the kite, an image (typically an animal) ispainted in black and white with Japanese ink, whileon the lower half there is a big kanji charachter
written in vermilion.

History &Features

12
Hanjimon in the giant kite above:
1. Two dogs are doing handstands toshow the meaning of good (dogturns to god, and then good).
2. The letter in vermilion ispronounced laku, similar
to luck.
Altogether it represents themessage of "Good Luck!"

The Magnitude of a Kite
The most important feature of a giant kite is its
magnitude. The average size of giant kites in thepast is over 100 Tatami mats, the largest amongJapanese kites.

Size
WeightFrame
Paper

Height 13m, Width 12m
About 700kg
50 Roku-Shaku (Length 1.8m) Bamboos
360 Pieces of Special Handmade
Washi (90cm × 60cm)

Glue
Total Numberof Kitemakers
Working PeriodNumber of People
for Flying

18L
About 600 People(for each person, 6 hours per day)

About 1 Month
About 130 People

Tail

5 to 10 Ropes
Thickness 15mm
Length 50m

Flying Line

Thickness 20mm
Length 400m

Bridle50 Ropes
Thickness 3 to 5mm
Length About 40m

Giant Kite
Making a Giant Kite
We make giant kites at the annex hall.
Please contact us beforehand if you wish tovisit when we are making a kite.

Higashiomi Giant
Kite Festival
The Higashiomi giant kite festival is a bigevent held on the last Sunday of May everyyear. A 100-Tatami giant kite flies into theMay sky in the hands of over 100 people. At
the festival, you can also enjoy other events
such as 20-Tatami giant kites flying, various
kites flown by kite devotees from all overJapan, and a small-scale contest ofHigashiomi giant kites.

Importance for Celebration
The traditional giant kites from the middle of
the Edo period have been flown over and over for
many important events and ceremonies of theregion and country — for example, Japan's admission to the U.N. and the marriage of the CrownPrince.

Events20-Tatami Giant Kitefor Young Adults
On the Coming-of-Age ceremony day inJanuary each year, a 20-Tatami giant kiteflies into the sky to celebrate young adults in
Higashiomi.