In Photos: Japan's stylish 'oshie-hagoita' where paddle meets patchwork

A decorative paddle portraying Soga no Goro, a character from the "Ya no ne" ("arrowhead") kabuki play, from the Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, is seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Craftsman Nishiyama Kogetsu attaches patchwork of female kabuki character Fuji Musume, or the Wisteria Maiden, on the wooden board of an "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddle at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. Her kimono is adorned with wisteria patterns. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Old decorative paddles are seen on display at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Nishiyama Kogetsu is seen applying patchwork onto a traditional decorative paddle at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

A decorative paddle portraying female kabuki character Fuji Musume, or Wisteria Maiden, is seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

The front sides of traditional hagoita paddles from across Japan are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. The thin wooden paddles can be used to play traditional "hanetsuki" badminton. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

The back sides of traditional hagoita paddles from across Japan are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Face parts used in traditional oshie-hagoita paddles, which are made by attaching silk onto cardboard and painting them white with "gofun" pigments, are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

The eyebrows and hairline of an oshie-hagoita paddle's female version are drawn with a fine brush at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

The rough sketches for oshie-hagoita decorative paddles are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Cotton is stuffed between cardboard and fabric to create a decorative hagoita paddle at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

A heated flat iron is used to affix fabric onto cardboard to create a traditional decorative paddle part at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

This 2018 photo shows people at a hagoita fair held every December on the Sensoji Temple grounds in Asakusa. (Mainichi/Junichi Sasaki)

A traditional "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddle is seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

A traditional "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddle is seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

A rough sketch of an "oshie-hagoita" paddle, right, and the completed product, is seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Parts showing steps to complete the face piece of an "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddle are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Patchwork parts for "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddles are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Patchwork parts for "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddles are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

Patchwork parts for "oshie-hagoita" decorative paddles are seen at Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

"Oshie-hagoita" craftsman Nishiyama Kogetsu is seen in the museum corner of the shop Hagoita no Kogetsu in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Nov. 2, 2021. (Mainichi/Emi Naito)

This 1999 photo shows Hagoita no Kogetsu's first generation head Nishiyama Kogetsu, right, and his son who inherited the Kogetsu name in the traditional oshie-hagoita shop in Tokyo's Sumida Ward. (Mainichi)