The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-14
To Make Fighting Kites
And How to Fight Them After They
Are Made.


The string of a fighting kite is COW
cred with glue or paste and then
sprinkled with ground glass or a DOW
der made by pounding up fine bits of
broken dishes. This gives it a rough
surface of considerable cutting power
when drawn across the taut string of
another kite.
The object is to fly a kite so that
the string Of it shall cross the string
of an opponents kite, and then to let
the string out quickly before he can
slacken his own.
Other things being equal-that is
to say, the two kite strings being of
equal cutting power and like tough
ness, the line which has the most
strain on it is the one which gets cut.
Some boys aquire great skill in this
game and can cut their opponents
kite string, even when their own line
is of inferior cutting quality, by ma
nipulating their kite in an adroit man.
ner.
A kite cut loose becomes the prop
erty of the boy who cuts it, or else is
left to the first small boy who picks
it up, according as the agreement of
the game may be- In any event the
original owner torfeits it.
A good way to prepare the string
is to- mix pounded glass or porcelain
and glue together and then dip the
line carefully in it section by section
and hang it up TO dry. The adhesive
substance should not be made so thick
that ii will cake off when dry.
In the East, fish glue and rice paste
are both used. Sometimes a. japanese
boy will attach small, sharp curved
knife to his string and try TO guide hts
kite so that the knife will cut the line
of his opponent.
When Japenese boy goes out into
a field he chooses an opponent and
offers battle with his kite. II the chal-
lenge is accepted, at 1t they go; but
it is not considered good manners to
attempt to cut the string of any boy
who does not want to fight his kite,
and boys are generally careful not TO
entangle their kite strings accident
ally.
Frequently there are kite nights be-
tween famous experts, whose skill and
whose kites are famous, and then all
lesser combats are postponed while
the crowd watches the battle.
Boys go out by appointment to fight
kites, just as in this country one base
ball team goes out to play another
When IL is reported that Okashi the
champion kite fighter Of Nagasaki, has
come with his fierce kite, the "Stork
and Tortoise" to do battle with Hishi-
TAM, the champion of Toxic, and his
wonderful Flying Devil" everybody
goes out to see the contest. which is
talked about for weeks afterwards by
both men and boys, who discuss the
manner Of fighting affected by the two
champions and argue as 70 which is
the most finished and skillful artist in
the kite-fighting line.
As some boys and men get reputa-
ton as expert kite fighters, so some
! kites become known as almost irwin
chile ones, sure to cut down any other
| kite. and they are. consequently, much
| valued by their owners, who go about
with them seeking battle.
To the top of a japanese fighting
! kite, as. inded. to most kites In Ja-
| pan. there is attached a bent bow with
/ a rawhide bow string.
II rs fastened on with the taut string
| up. and when the kite gets IN the air
/ the wind produces a humming sound
which makes the kite seem like fierce
| bird In the air, challenging the other
/ kites 20 battle.
The louder a boys kite huns the
/ prouder he IL OF a.
Il Is an animated scene on a good