Suzuki Harunobu
The activity of kite flying is thousands of years old; it hasn't always been associated with carefree summer days and colorful kite festivals. The first documented reports of kite flying are from Ancient China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), where they were used in a military capacity (for example to aid the calculation of distance between one point and another). They were also used to deliver important messages and sometimes (in a non-military capacity) to deliver romantic ones! The activity of kite flying was slowly disseminated via trade routes to other countries.
By the 7th Century AD kites had arrived in Japan. Here they were initially used by Buddhist monks to ward off evil spirits or to bring good fortune, but it wasn't until the Edo Period (1603–1868) that kite flying became accessible to the lower classes (those below Samurai). After that it quickly became a national pastime!
- Sarah Mills
P.S. There are so many gorgeous examples of kite flying in art. Click here to see the best of them!