Decorative Japanese Hagoita – Silk Textile Art – Oshi-e Technique – Kabuki Samurai – Shōwa Period – 60 cm

📐 Features

• Type: Decorative Hagoita 羽子板 / Japanese wall art
• Origin: Japan, found in Yamaguchi Prefecture
• Technique: Oshi-e 押絵 (textile relief decoration)
• Material: Wood, silk textiles, decorative cords
• Pattern: Kabuki actor in a samurai role
• Back decoration: Ume 梅 plum blossoms
• Period: Estimated late Shōwa era, 1980s–1990s
• Size: Approximately 60 cm (23.6 in) high, maximum width approximately 20 cm (7.9 in)
• Condition: Very good vintage condition. The silk textiles are very well preserved, with rich colors and marked relief. No major marks, wood in good condition.
  

Description

This decorative Japanese hagoita depicts a kabuki actor in a samurai role, an emblematic figure of Japanese theater. Made using the oshi-e 押絵 technique, it combines meticulous textile layering with a strong relief effect.

The silk 絹 textiles, with their rich and contrasting patterns, form the actor's beautiful kimono. The face, with its stylized features and intense expression, directly evokes the dramatic aesthetic of kabuki, balancing tension, bravery, and nobility.

On the back, the painted decoration depicts ume 梅 plum blossoms, often associated with the end of winter and courage in the face of adversity.

What is a hagoita?

Originally, the hagoita 羽子板 is a wooden racket used for a traditional Japanese New Year's game. Very early on, some hagoita became purely decorative, given as good luck charms and displayed in homes.

Over time, they transformed into true artistic supports, adorned with female figures, kabuki actors, or symbolic scenes, and became emblematic decorative objects of traditional Japan, especially for New Year's.

The oshi-e technique

The oshi-e 押絵 is a Japanese decorative technique consisting of creating textile relief images, using fabrics—often silk—wadding, and rigid supports. The Hagoita is made using this oshi-e technique.

🦝 Our opinion

A very beautiful Hagoita, we love the blue colors of the Kabuki actor's kimono playing a samurai! The plum blossoms painted around the actor and on the back are very elegant. A very beautiful object to magnify your decor and add a touch of Japan, especially for New Year's!

👉 Discover this piece alongside other treasures in our Japanese Decoration & Art Objects collection.