tako-e 凧絵

Pictures on kites. It is thought that kite flying became popular in Japan in the 18th century, and the early designs for their decoration were hand-painted *nikuhitsuga 肉筆画. Woodblock printed designs did not become popular for kites until the early 19th century, with Utagawa Kunitsugu 歌川国次 (1800-1861). In these first printed designs, the ink outlines were woodblock printed and the colors were added by hand. Printed colors did not become popular until the 1830s-40s. Few early kite pictures remain because they were made for use and naturally did not last many flights.