Kite - Octopus

Japanese: 凧 - たこ

A kite is a toy made of bamboo or wood with a frame stretched over it with paper, cloth or vinyl, which is pulled by a string using wind power and hoisted into the sky. Kites fly high into the sky due to the lift (the force that tries to lift the kite up) and drag (the force that tries to push it away) generated by the wind's current. Kites have a very ancient origin, originally used for religious divination and military purposes. There are many types, and they are found all over the world, including Asia, Europe and the South Pacific.

[Ryosuke Saito]

Japanese kites

Kite flying was introduced from China before the Heian period and was called shirou-shi or shien, and was practiced as a type of art. It gradually became more common and developed. During the Genna period (1615-1624), Nagasaki magistrate Hase Sahei started flying squid streamers at night with candles lit on them, and kite flying became popular as a children's game during the New Year period in the Edo period. In addition, kites are also flown in March and May during seasonal festivals and Obon. Originally, kites were not just a game, but were flown on birthdays to celebrate children's growth and to pray for future happiness. The custom of flying kites to celebrate the 60th birthday in Kochi Prefecture probably has a similar purpose. In some regions, large kite flying and kite battles are held as competitions for adults, and these are currently held as annual events in the Hoshubana district of Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture, Sanjo City and Shirone, Minami Ward, Niigata City, and Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. They have various meanings, such as fortune-telling for the year, praying for a good harvest, and warding off evil. Each region of the country has its own unique local kites. There are character kites and picture kites, and they come in square, rectangular, diamond, pentagonal, and hexagonal shapes. There are also Chinese kites, which are painted and colored to match the shape of the kite, and various types of carved kites (yakko kites, abu kites, andon kites, etc.).

[Ryosuke Saito]

China

In China, kites are called "chiyuan" (paper kites) or "fongchon" (wind zither). Children fly kites regardless of the season, but generally the 60 days from the beginning of spring to Qingming are the season for fanchon (flying kites). According to popular belief, if you fly a kite after Qingming, you will encounter an unexpected disaster, or the god who governs kites will return to heaven after Qingming, so the kite will not fly high. Perhaps this is an indication that the weather has become unsuitable for kite flying. The oldest known origin of kites is said to be that they were made by Han Xin, a military commander of the Han dynasty, in the 200s BC when he fought against the Chu army, or that they were used to measure the distance to Weiyang Palace. There are as many as 60 to 70 different types of kites, ranging from those shaped like airplanes or incense burners to people such as civil judges, military judges, shepherds, Zhong Kui (Shoki), or Sun Wukong (Son Goku), as well as kites with Chinese characters for good fortune, longevity, and joy written on them, as well as animals, birds, and insects such as geese, fish, crabs, centipedes, phoenixes, peacocks, flying tigers, butterflies, and dragonflies. In northern China, when the string of a kite is snapped by the wind and it flies away, this is called fancai, and it is believed that misfortune has been abolished. There is also a custom of deliberately cutting the string to fly the kite in order to ward off misfortune. In southern China, people hated kites falling on their property, and believed that misfortunes would come from kites and fall on their houses, so they would ward them off. In addition, in the old days, it was considered a good omen for a kite to fly high and enter the clouds.

[Jun Shimizu]

Western

Kites, invented in China, were introduced to the West via the Netherlands in the 16th century and became popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Kites were not unknown before that; kite flying appeared in Northern Europe in the 15th century, and kites are mentioned in ancient documents from Vienna in 1450. Kites were flown by children in the fall. Kites were often used in practical applications, as seen in 1752 when American Franklin used a kite to observe the discharge of lightning and invented the lightning rod. In Goya's 18th century painting of a kite (1778), adults are flying diamond-shaped kites with long tails. The bowed kite, with its cross-shaped frame with the diamond shape pulled strongly downward, is the basic shape of Western kites. Bowed kites with bird-like shapes are also common. The word kite is derived from the English word kite, the German word dragon, the French word stag beetle, and the Spanish word comet. Recently, in addition to paper, vinyl is also being used, and the shapes have become more diverse, including squares, triangles, circles, and three-dimensional objects, making them enjoyable for adults as well.

[Michio Iide]

The Science of Kites

A kite remains stationary in the air because the forces acting on it are balanced overall. The forces acting on a kite are (1) the weight of the kite (gravity acting on the kite) W , (2) the wind force F acting on the kite, and (3) the force T of the person pulling on the kite string. For these three forces to be balanced, the lines of action of the three forces must pass through a single point, and the vectors representing the three forces must form a triangle. Of these, F is determined by the kite's attitude relative to the wind and the wind speed, with the wind direction (horizontal) component D being called resistance and the vertical upward component L being called lift. The balance of the three forces can be interpreted as follows. Lift L is needed to support the kite's weight W , and thrust T from the string is needed to counteract the resistance D that appears with lift L.

In principle, kites are the same as airplanes in horizontal flight. The only difference is that airplanes use propellers or jets to counteract resistance, whereas kites are pulled by a human. In airplanes, the wings are designed to minimize resistance D , and the inclination of the wings is small. In contrast, a normal kite is more inclined to the wind, and the air that flows along the front of the kite separates from the kite's edge, creating a vortex area on the back. This results in a large resistance D , and a large thrust is required to overcome this. The kite's lift L must support not only its weight W , but also the downward component of the tension of the string, T sinθ. As the wind speed increases, L increases in proportion to the square of the wind speed, so it can support a large T sinθ. Therefore, the inclination θ of the string relative to the horizontal can be increased. This is why kites fly high above the head when the wind speed is high.

When the wind speed or the kite's attitude changes, the balance of the three forces is broken. If the kite automatically recovers and returns to a balanced state, the kite is said to be stable. In order for a kite to fly well, it must be stable. This is why kites are designed with such ingenuity as the shape of the kite, the way the strings are attached, and even a tail.

[Imai Isao]

"The Science of Kites" by Toshiro Ito and Koji Komura (1979, Shogakukan) " "Kites" by Tsutomu Hiroi (1973, Mainichi Shimbun) " "Kites - The Shape of the Sky" by Tsutomu Hiroi (1972, Bijutsu Shuppansha) " "Encyclopedia of Kites - Japanese Kites and Kites of the World" by Ichiro Himo (1997, Bijutsu Shuppansha)

Kite flying
A nishiki-e from the Edo period depicting kite flying. A large square kite can be seen in the center, and a bird-shaped kite on the left. Kite flying was a way to celebrate the growth of children and pray for their future happiness. Utagawa Kuniyoshi's "Five Seasonal Festivals: Mutsuki" Triptych, owned by the National Diet Library .

Kite flying

Kite flying (children's play)
Kite flying, originally a pastime for celebrating children's birthdays, became popular as a New Year's pastime during the Edo period. The painting depicts children enjoying kite flying, and kites of various designs and shapes can be seen, including picture kites with warrior pictures and character kites. "Children Playing with Kite" by Ikkosai Kohomori, triptych, 1868 (Meiji 1), owned by the National Diet Library .

Kite flying (children's play)

Kite flying contest
This is a brave event held every year from May 3rd to 5th at the Hamamatsu Festival. Over 100 towns in the city each fly large kites measuring 2 to 10 jo (1 jo is about 1.65m) and compete to cut the 5mm thick hemp kite strings. Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture © Shizuoka Prefecture Tourism Association ">

Kite flying contest

The principle of kites
©Shogakukan ">

The principle of kites

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

竹や木を骨にして紙または布、ビニルなどを張り、風力を利用して糸で引き、空に揚げる遊び道具。凧が空高く舞い上がるのは、風の流れぐあいによって生じる揚力（凧を上に揚げようとする力）と、抗力（押し流そうとする力）によるものである。起源はきわめて古く、最初は宗教的な占いや軍事などに用いられた。多くの種類があり、アジア、ヨーロッパ、南太平洋地域など広く世界各地にみられる。

［斎藤良輔］

日本の凧

平安時代以前に中国から伝わり、紙老鴟(しろうし)または紙鳶(しえん)とよばれて、凧揚げは技芸の一種として行われていた。それがしだいに一般化されて発達した。元和(げんな)年間（1615～1624）のころには、長崎代官長谷佐兵衛が、烏賊幟(いかのぼり)にろうそくをつけて夜中に揚げるなど、しだいにくふうされ、江戸時代には正月の子供遊びとして流行するようになった。凧を揚げる時期は、このほか3月、5月の節供や盆に揚げる所もある。本来は単なる遊びではなく、子供の成長を祝い、将来の多幸を祈って誕生祝いなどに揚げた。高知県で還暦の祝いに凧揚げをする風習があるのも、同様の趣旨からであろう。また成人の競技として、大凧揚げや凧合戦などを行う地方があり、現在、埼玉県春日部(かすかべ)市宝珠花(ほうしゅばな)地区、新潟県三条市・新潟市南区白根(しろね)、静岡県浜松市などで、年中行事として行われている。年占い、豊作祈願、厄除(やくよ)けなどいろいろの意味をもっていた。また全国各地に、それぞれの特色をもった郷土凧がある。字凧と絵凧があり、角形、長方形、菱(ひし)形、五角形、六角形などがある。このほか凧の形にあわせて描彩した唐人(とうじん)凧や、各種の細工凧（奴(やっこ)凧、虻(あぶ)凧、あんどん凧ほか）もある。

［斎藤良輔］

中国

中国では凧のことを紙鳶(チーユワン)とか風箏(フォンチョン)とよぶ。子供は時節にかかわらず凧揚げをするが、一般には立春から清明(せいめい)までの60日間が放箏(ファンチョン)（凧揚げ）の季節である。俗信によれば、清明が過ぎて凧を揚げると思いがけぬ災害にあうとか、凧をつかさどる神は清明が過ぎると天に帰るから凧揚げしても高く揚がらないとかいわれる。凧揚げに適さない気候になったことを示すものであろうか。凧の起源として古いものでは、紀元前200年代に漢(かん)の武将韓信(かんしん)が、楚(そ)軍と戦ったときにつくったとか、未央宮(びおうきゅう)との遠近を測るのに用いたなどといわれる。凧の種類は、6、70種類もあり、飛行機、香炉などをかたどったものから、文判官、武判官、牧童、鍾馗(しょうき)などの人物や孫悟空(そんごくう)、さらに福、寿、喜などの文字を書いたもの、雁(かり)、魚、蟹(かに)、百足(むかで)、鳳凰(ほうおう)、孔雀(くじゃく)、飛虎(ひこ)、胡蝶(こちょう)、蜻蛉(とんぼ)などの動物や鳥、昆虫に至るまで、実にさまざまである。北中国では、揚げた凧の糸が風で切れて飛び去ってしまうことを放災(ファンツァイ)といって、災いがなくなったとする。そして災難よけのために、わざと糸を切って凧を飛ばす風習もある。また、南中国では、凧が自分の屋敷内に落ちるのを忌み嫌い、災難が凧にのって家に落ちてきたとしてお祓(はら)いまでしたという。このほか、昔は凧が高く揚がり、雲の中に入るのを吉兆とした。

［清水　純］

西洋

中国で発明された凧は、16世紀にオランダ経由で西洋に伝わり、17、18世紀に普及した。凧はそれ以前にも知られていなかったわけでなく、北欧では15世紀に凧揚げが現れ、1450年のウィーンの古文書にも凧のことが出てくる。凧は、秋に子供が揚げた。1752年アメリカのフランクリンが凧で稲妻の放電現象を確かめ、避雷針を発明したように、凧は実用面でもよく利用された。18世紀のゴヤの凧の絵（1778）では、大人たちが長いしっぽのある菱形の凧を揚げている。その菱形を強く下に引っ張ったような十字形骨組みのボウ・カイトbowed kiteが西洋の凧の基本形である。ボウ・カイトで鳥の姿の凧もよくみられる。凧は英語ではトビ、ドイツ語で竜、フランス語でクワガタ虫、スペイン語で彗星(すいせい)を転用する。最近は紙のほかビニルも使い、形も四角、三角、丸、立体具象と多様化し、大人も楽しんでいる。

［飯豊道男］

凧の科学

空中に凧が静止するのは、凧に働く力が全体としてつり合っているからである。凧に働く力は、(1)凧の重量（凧に働く重力）W、(2)凧に働く風の力F、(3)凧糸を通して人間が引っ張る力T、である。この三つの力がつり合うためには、三力の作用線が1点を通り、かつ三力を表すベクトルが三角形をつくらなければならない。このうちFは、風に対する凧の姿勢と風速によって決まるもので、風の向き（水平方向）の成分Dを抵抗、鉛直上向きの成分Lを揚力という。三力のつり合いは次のように解釈される。凧の重量Wを支えるためには揚力Lが必要で、揚力Lに伴って現れる抵抗Dを打ち消すために、糸による推力Tが必要である。

　水平飛行する飛行機と比べると、凧は原理的に同じである。ただ、飛行機では、抵抗を打ち消すために、プロペラやジェットなどの推進装置を使うのに対して、凧では人間が糸を引っ張るという違いがあるだけである。飛行機では抵抗Dをできるだけ小さくするように翼の設計が行われ、翼の傾きも小さい。これに反して、普通の凧では風に対する傾きが大きく、凧の前面に沿って流れてきた空気は凧の縁ではがれて、背面には渦の領域ができている。そのため抵抗Dが大きく、これに打ち勝つための推力を大きくする必要がある。凧の揚力Lはその重量Wのみならず、糸の張力の下向き成分Tsinθを支えなければならないが、風速が大きくなると、Lは風速の二乗に比例して大きくなるので、大きいTsinθを支えうることになる。したがって、水平に対する糸の傾きθを大きくすることができる。風速が大きいとき凧が頭上高く揚がるのはこのためである。

　風速が変わったり、凧の姿勢が変わったりすると、三力のつり合いは破れる。このとき自動的に凧の姿勢が回復してつり合いの状態に戻る場合、凧は安定であるという。凧がよく揚がるためには、凧は安定でなければならない。凧の形や糸目のつけ方、さらに尾をつけるなどのくふうがされるのはそのためである。

［今井　功］

『伊藤利朗・小村宏次著『凧の科学』（1979・小学館）』▽『広井力著『凧』（1973・毎日新聞社）』▽『広井力著『凧――空の造形』（1972・美術出版社）』▽『比毛一朗『凧大百科――日本の凧・世界の凧』（1997・美術出版社）』

凧揚げ
凧揚げのようすを描いた江戸時代の錦絵。中央に大きな角凧、左に鳥形の凧がみえる。凧揚げは、子供の成長を祝い、将来の多幸を祈って行われるものであった。歌川国芳画『五節句之内　睦月』　三枚続国立国会図書館所蔵">

凧揚げ

凧揚げ（子供遊び）
元来は子供の誕生祝いなどに行われた凧揚げも、江戸時代には正月の子供遊びとして流行するようになった。絵は凧揚げに興じる子供たちを描いたもので、武者絵が描かれた絵凧や字凧など、さまざまな絵柄、形の凧がみえる。一交斎小芳盛画『子供遊び凧の戯』　三枚続　1868年（明治1）国立国会図書館所蔵">

凧揚げ（子供遊び）

凧揚げ合戦

凧の原理

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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