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New Year greeting cards for mascot Hikonyan

Hikonyan, the popular cat mascot of the city of Hikone in Shiga Prefecture, poses for a photo with New Year greeting cards and a "hagoita" traditional battledore sent to it at the city hall on Jan. 7, 2026. The western Japan city said Hikonyan received 13,220 cards from across the country and abroad.

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Obama, Matsui, featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - A woman in kimono poses with a ''Kawari Hagoita'' featuring Ryo Ishikawa, the teenage golf star, at the main office of Japanese doll maker Kyugetsu in Tokyo on Dec. 9, 2009. Among this year's 10 ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular as decoration during New Year's, are those featuring U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife Miyuki, and New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui, the winner of this year's World Series MVP.

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Obama, Kitajima featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. president-elect Barack Obama (L, front) and Japanese Beijing Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima (R, front) are among the well-known figures featured on this year's unique ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular as decoration during New Year's.

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Battledore market opens in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A market for traditional Japanese battledores opens on the compound of Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district Dec. 17, heralding the coming of the end of the year. Among the battledores is one featuring ''Hanikami Oji'' (Bashful Prince), the nickname of amateur teenage golfer Ryo Ishikawa. Some 300,000 people are expected to visit the market during a three-day run.

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Battledore market opens in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A market for traditional Japanese battledores opens in Tokyo's Asakusa district Dec. 17 for a three-day run, heralding the arrival of the end of the year. Among them are battledores featuring pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has signed a six-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, and Olympic figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa.

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Prince Hisahito, Matsuzaka featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - Prince Hisahito, the two-month-old son of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher who is negotiating a deal with the Boston Red Sox, are among some of the well-known figures featured in this year's ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular for decoration in the New Year.

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Ichiro, Princess Masako featured in this year's 'hagoita' fair

TOKYO, Japan - Ornamental ''hagoita'' battledores depicting Crown Princess Masako (R), Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2nd from R) and American League MVP Ichiro Suzuki (4th from R) are featured in this year's ''hagoita'' battledore market which opened Dec. 17 in Tokyo's Taito Ward. Some 50 stalls in the Sensoji temple compound are selling the battledores.

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Ichiro, Princess Masako featured in this year's 'hagoita' fair

TOKYO, Japan - Ornamental ''hagoita'' battledores depicting Crown Princess Masako (R), Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2nd from R) and American League MVP Ichiro Suzuki (4th from R) are featured in this year's ''hagoita'' battledore market which opened Dec. 17 in Tokyo's Taito Ward. Some 50 stalls in the Sensoji temple compound are selling the battledores.

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Japan's 2015 newsmakers featured on battledores

A model holds traditional Japanese "hagoita" battledores decorated with reliefs featuring newsmakers of the year 2015, created by Tokyo doll maker Kyugetsu Co., in the Japanese capital on Dec. 3, 2015. The left battledore features pop singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama (top), whose marriage to actress Kazue Fukiishi (bottom) in September shocked his female fans and the stock price of his management agency plunging. The right battledore shows rugby player Ayumu Goromaru, whose pose before kicking became popular after Japan's participation in the World Cup between September and October. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan's 2015 newsmakers featured on battledores

A model holds traditional Japanese "hagoita" battledores decorated with reliefs featuring newsmakers of the year 2015, created by Tokyo doll maker Kyugetsu Co., in the Japanese capital on Dec. 3, 2015. The left battledore features pop singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama (top), whose marriage to actress Kazue Fukiishi (bottom) in September shocked his female fans and the stock price of his management agency plunging. The right battledore shows rugby player Ayumu Goromaru, whose pose before kicking became popular after Japan's participation in the World Cup between September and October. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Visitors experience Japanese culture at Milan world expo

Children visiting the Japan Pavilion of Expo Milano 2015 play battledore on June 22, 2015. The traditional game is played mainly as a new year's custom in Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Prince Hisahito, Matsuzaka featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - Prince Hisahito, the two-month-old son of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher who is negotiating a deal with the Boston Red Sox, are among some of the well-known figures featured in this year's ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular for decoration in the New Year. (Kyodo)

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Obama, Kitajima featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. president-elect Barack Obama (L, front) and Japanese Beijing Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima (R, front) are among the well-known figures featured on this year's unique ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular as decoration during New Year's. (Kyodo)

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Battledore market opens in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A market for traditional Japanese battledores opens on the compound of Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district Dec. 17, heralding the coming of the end of the year. Among the battledores is one featuring ''Hanikami Oji'' (Bashful Prince), the nickname of amateur teenage golfer Ryo Ishikawa. Some 300,000 people are expected to visit the market during a three-day run. (Kyodo)

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Battledore market opens in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - A market for traditional Japanese battledores opens in Tokyo's Asakusa district Dec. 17 for a three-day run, heralding the arrival of the end of the year. Among them are battledores featuring pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has signed a six-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, and Olympic figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa. (Kyodo)

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A woman holding a battledore

A woman holding a battledore==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images)

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Playing battledore

This is a typical New Year scene. A shimenawa straw rope is hanging and girls are enjoying a game of battledore and shuttlecock while another girl is bouncing a ball. The girl on the right has her hair arranged in shimada-fuwarikarako style while the ones on the left and middle have theirs in marumage and warikarako-mage styles. This is a studio photograph.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number61‐9‐0]

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Girls playing battledore

Two women enjoy a game of battledore and shuttlecock. Both are dressed in decorated kimono and white tabi socks. The young woman on the left has her hair arranged in marumage style with floral pins, while the one on the right has hers in gin'nangaeshi style. This is a studio photograph probably taken at the end of the Meiji Period.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number51‐144‐0]

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A woman holding a battledore

A woman holding a battledore==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images)

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Girls playing a game with birdies

New Year's games of girls. Two girls play springboard with the battledore, and a girl bounces a ball. In the rear, Shimenawa (sacred ropes) decorations can be seen. The English title is Girls New Year.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:Kusakabe Kinbei, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number40‐49‐0]

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A woman holding a battledore

A young woman clutches a hagoita (battledore) with both hands and sits slightly sideways with only her face towards the camera. Her smile is natural, which shows the ability of the portrait photographer Tamamura.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number29‐7‐0]

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Shop of hagoita,battledores

An open-air hagoita (battledore) shop. It has a large opening, and battledores are arranged in five rows for sale. Three men sit at the entrance of the shop and look in the direction of the camera. The men have towels around or over their heads and the two men to the right and left hold pipes in their hands.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number18‐48‐0]

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Girl holding hagoita,a battledore

A girl wearing a kimono and coat with hair done in Japanese style holds a hagoita. A pot of peach flowers is set by her side, and a peach flower is inserted in her hair.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number13‐5‐0]

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Obama, Matsui, featured in decorative battledores

TOKYO, Japan - A woman in kimono poses with a ''Kawari Hagoita'' featuring Ryo Ishikawa, the teenage golf star, at the main store of Japanese doll maker Kyugetsu in Tokyo on Dec. 9, 2009. Among this year's 10 ''Kawari Hagoita,'' a traditional Japanese battledore popular as decoration during New Year's, are those featuring U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife Miyuki, and New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui, the winner of this year's World Series MVP. (Kyodo)