• David Forrest with some of the pieces from the exhibition, Kites. Photo by Jeremy Dixon
Russian prince Oleg used kites in 906AD to scare off an advancing Greek army. The terrified soldiers apparently fled at the sight of horses and armed men flying over the walls of Constantinople (now Istanbul).
And in 1592 they were used by Korean admiral Yi to direct his navy to victory in a sea battle against invading Japanese.
But despite their warlike traditions the Japanese have historically used kites for purely peaceful purposes.
Thought to have been introduced by Chinese Buddhist missionaries around 650AD, they were used in religious ceremonies for hundreds of years. With the emergence of a rich merchant class in the early 1600s kite flying for pleasure become a passion that spread to rich and poor.
“[Today] there are five major kite festivals in Japan,” Gallery East co-director David Forrest says. Wood block prints were also gaining popularity at the time and artists used kite-flying to depict Kabuki actors and the hedonistic life style of townsfolk.
Kite-makers copied the woodblock prints to decorate their kites—the synergy resulting in Japanese kites becoming well-known for their beautiful artwork—while the artists created stunning prints, Mr Forrest says.
Children’s Day (originally Boy’s Day) is one of the most popular of the festivals, a time when colourful carp-shaped kites called “koinobori” are flown in honour of children in the hope that, like the carp, they will live long and healthy lives.
Another uniquely Japanese kite is the yakko-dako, a human-shaped kite that bobs in a mock bow, a reference to the feudal footmen and foot soldiers, constantly bowing to their samurai lords, Mr Forrest says.
Gallery East closed last year due to “economic conditions” but lives on in spirit, using exhibition space at Kidogo, on Bathers Beach.
“We had struggled [for three years] in the hope it would get better but had to draw a line, so after 22 years, had to close,” Mr Forrest told the Herald.
Kites is Mr Forrest’s second showing this year, following a successful Indonesian textile exhibition, a number of the beautiful fabric pieces added to Kerry Stokes’ burgeoning collection.
The kite prints range from the early 1700s to modern day.
Australian Tom Christensen unites Sydney Opera House with Manga monster Mothra in a quizzical print. Another, produced during the Sino-Japanese war of 1897, shows two little Japanese boys, with western haircuts, making a kite with depictions of a heroic Japanese soldier in modern dress, attacking a Chinese mandarin wearing traditional costume.
Miyagawa Shuntei’s print (1873 to 1914) shows young girls in kimonos in a playful game of shuttlecock, while a yakko-dako bobs in a tree behind them.
And an 1800s print by Utagawa Yoshitora is a massed display showing the variety of Japanese kites (around 130) during a children’s kite flying contest.
The more than 35 prints are on display until October 19, at Kidogo Arthouse, Bathers Beach, Fremantle.
by JENNY D’ANGER