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How to Make a Japanese Wall Kite

Japanese kites have a long tradition, dating all the way back to the 1600s during the Edo period. Each prefecture (region of Japan) had its own designs, based primarily on folk heroes and mythological creatures and objects. Today, there are professional kite makers who make kites not just for flying but also for decorating walls. Some use paper with painted or printed designs, while others borrow from the patchwork quilting traditions of North America, sewing beautiful patchwork-design fabric kites. Creating your own Japanese kimono wall kite is a simple way of making a dramatic decorating statement in your home.

Things You'll Need

Strips of bamboo
Tape measure
Utility knife
Pencil
Scissors
Tissue paper
Light string or thread
Glue
Tempera paint - assorted colors
Assorted artist's paint brushes
Spray bottle

Instructions

- 1
  Find an old bamboo roll-up window shade at a rummage sale or Salvation Army store and take it apart. Pull out four single sticks of bamboo.
- 2
  Cut one bamboo stick 36 inches long. Cut two sticks, measuring 28 inches long each. Cut another stick so it measures 16 inches long.
- 3
  Lay the 36-inch bamboo stick down on a work surface. This is the vertical spar of the kite. Measure 5 inches down from the top end and mark the spot with a pencil.
- 4
  Lay the tape measure along the two 28-inch bamboo sticks and mark the exact center of each stick.
- 5
  Lay one 28-inch bamboo stick horizontally across the 36-inch vertical spar. Match up the 14-inch mark on it with the 5-inch mark on the vertical spar. Take a length of light string and bind the two sticks of bamboo together, making sure they are at a right angle to one another.
- 6
  Measure 14 inches down from the first horizontal spar and make a pencil mark on the vertical bamboo spar. Lay the second 28-inch spar across the vertical spar and match up the two pencil marks. Bind the second horizontal spar to the vertical spar using string.
- 7
  Mark the halfway point on the 16-inch bamboo stick. Lay it horizontally across the bottom end of the vertical spar. Bind the 16-inch spar to the vertical spar with string making sure they are at a right angle to one another.
- 8
  Lay out the tissue paper. The top horizontal strip of tissue paper, which will form the sleeves of the kimono, should measure 28 inches wide by 14 inches high. If one sheet of tissue paper isn't long enough, glue two sheets together and cut to size.
- 9
  Measure and cut another piece of tissue paper, measuring 14 inches wide by 17 inches high. Glue one 14-inch edge to one 28-inch edge. Find the middle point of each sheet of tissue paper and match them up when gluing. The glued tissue paper should now look like a kimono robe.
- 10
  Cut a triangular piece of tissue paper. Draw an isosceles triangles with a base of 8 inches. Each side of the triangle should measure 5 3/4 inches.
- 11
  Glue the 8-inch edge of the triangle to the top of the kimono, matching up the exact center points of each. Draw a design or patterns on the tissue paper and fill in with paint. Let it dry, then flip the tissue kimono over so the painted side is facing down on a clean flat work surface.
- 12
  Lay the bamboo armature on the work surface with the vertical spar on top. Run a bead of glue along its full length. Run a bead of glue 4 inches in from each end of the horizontal spars. Lay the bamboo armature glue-side down on the tissue paper, matching up edges of the tissue paper with the horizontal spars. Let the glue dry completely.
- 13
  Holding the kite in one hand, dampen the tissue paper by lightly misting it with water and let it dry. As the tissue paper dries, it will shrink and stretch tightly against the vertical and horizontal spars.

Aviation