Root tree

Japanese: 根木 - ねっき

A game in which players drive wooden sticks into the ground. Branches of hard trees such as oak, sawtooth oak, or plum trees are cut to lengths of 30-40cm and one end is sharpened and driven into the ground, standing up, and the next player tries to knock it down. The one who knocks it down is theirs. Depending on the region, the game is called "nengara," "kainen," "kuiuchi," "kobayo," "tappe," "tenga," "tengara," "nikki," "nekkui," or "bouchi." Sticks made by cutting the fork of a tree branch short and leaving it like a hook are also used, and Kunio Yanagita has suggested that this is related to the belief in tree branches, and that the "nen" in "nengara" may refer to "nen" (thoughts).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

地面に木の棒を打ち込み合う遊び。ナラ，クヌギ，梅などの堅木の枝で太さ3cmくらいのものを長さ30～40cmに切り，一端をとがらせたものを地面に打ちつけて立て，次の者はそれを打ち倒すようにする。倒せば自分のものとなる。地方によって〈ねんがら〉〈かいねん〉〈くいうち〉〈こばよ〉〈たっぺ〉〈てんが〉〈てんがら〉〈にっき〉〈ねっくい〉〈ぼううち〉などの名がある。木の枝のまたを短く切って残して鉤（かぎ）のようにした棒も使われ，柳田国男はこれは木の枝に対する信仰と関係があり，〈ねんがら〉の〈ねん〉は〈念〉ではないかといっている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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