Koinobori Kites

Children's Day, Kodomo no hi (子供の日), takes place on May 5^th in Japan. It is the last day of Golden Week, a week in which businesses usually close for up to 9–10 days. It became a national holiday in 1948, but it has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times. Until 1948, it was called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), and only honored boys. Now, this holiday is known as "Children's Day” and it is a day to celebrate the health and happiness of all children.

Koinobori (鯉幟), meaning "carp streamer" in Japanese, are carp-shaped wind socks traditionally

flown in Japan to celebrate Children’s Day. The carp, or koi, is considered the strongest and most spirited fish, because it fights its way upstream against strong currents. It is a symbol of strength, courage and success. The tradition of flying Koinobori outside homes began as a way to honor the sons living within so that they would grow up healthy and courageous like a carp. Landscapes across Japan are decorated with koinobori from April to early May, in honor of all children for a good future and in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.

For their printmaking project, fifth graders, who are currently learning about Asia in geography, created their own koinobori kites for Children’s Day. For this lesson, I used/adapted this Dick Plan Lesson plan. Students created a scale shape and transferred the design onto a rubber-like material before carving away the negative space using a tool called a gouge. The pattern was printed repeatedly onto fabric using special printing ink until the fish was covered in scales. Students used acrylic paint to embellish the fish with colorful accents and eyes. Tails were cut from scraps of fabric and the fish were assembled to create the final windsock. They are hanging across the Atrium and the display is pretty spectacular!