JAPANESE KITES IN KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
produced by Deutsch-Japanische Gesellshaft, Karlsruhe
22 SEPTEMBER to 28 OCTOBER 2000


Akiko & Masami Takakuwa and Dr.Eva Paur


Copied from "Badische Neueste Nachrichten" issued on 23 September, 2000.




DRACHEN


To understand the following text it should be known that in German "Drachen" has two meanings: kite and dragon.

Kites seem to be a mediator between nature and culture.
Almost all cultures have some perception of dragons. Dragons often do have attributes of many different animals like snakes, reptiles or crocodiles. So it is not puzzling, if some dinosaurs, which are ancestores of today's reptiles look like dragons.
The large flying dinosaurs are more or less dragons of the air of the earth's middle ages more than 60 million years ago. The dragons of fairy tales and legends do not only have properties of different types of animals, but they also have special qualities like blowing fire and being invulnerable.
But not only the dragons (drachen) of legends and fairy tales were able to fly, the kites (drachen) which are appearing in the autumn skies also have outstanding capabilities of flying. As a favourite toy for adults and children alike they soare into the sky over meadows and fields. Adults do have flying competitions, and in former times kites were used for metereological purposes.
In Eastasia kites have figurative meanings. In former times in Japan kite flying used to be done nationwide at New Year. Some regions do have traditionally different models. Besides the sport kites, in Japan artits design precious ?paintings for the sky". The Karlsruhe Science Museum (Staatliches Museum fuer Naturkunde) and the German-Japanese Society of Karlsruhe would like to make the visitors of th exhibition aware of the close connection of culture and nature, while at the same time promoting the understanding of Japan and its people.

Prof.Dr.Siegfried Rietschel, director of the Staatliches Museum fuer Naturkunde, Karlsruhe

Click on the image for large picture.

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#10 #11 Kite map of Japan #12 Masami Takakuwa
#13 Teruko Matsushima Fritz
 #14 Dr.Siegfried Rietshel #15 Workshop #16
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#18 #19 #20 Stefan Voss
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#22 #23 Horst Pusch #24
#25 Horst Pusch & Dr.Eva Paur
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#29 Workshop
 #30 Workshop #31 #32
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