A decorative Japanese hanetsuki hagoita (paddle), the wooden hitting surface painted, the reverse with an elaborate textile design; sold with an origi

A decorative Japanese hanetsuki hagoita (paddle), the wooden hitting surface painted, the reverse with an elaborate textile design; sold with an original photograph portraying two Japanese girls playing at hanetsuki at the New Year as is customary (2) Hanetsuki, or Hane as it is sometimes abbreviated, is similar to badminton in that a shuttlecock is used but there is no net. The game can be played in two fashions, the players hitting back and forth, or by competition to keep the shuttlecock aloft the longest. A girl that fails to hit the shuttlecock gets her face marked with ink. Traditionally, it is said that the longer the shuttlecock remains in the air the greater protection from mosquitoes the players will receive during the coming year.