Mega Moon Flies Over Okinawa, Japan
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Mega Moon in Flight 2 |
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Mega Moon in Flight |
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Pigida Kite |
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Butterfly Line Climber |
The call came from director of the Tokyo Kite Museum, Masaaki Modegi. “The Japan Kite Association has the opportunity to fly the world’s largest kite at a gathering in Okinawa, on the island of Ishigaki.”
Flying large kites is a difficult endeavor, and takes much planning even for those who are experienced. Thus, Modegi asked DF board president Scott Skinner and Blake Pelton to direct the flying of Mega Moon, one of the three largest kites engineered by Peter Lynn during the weekend of June 22 nd –24 th. Training a team of volunteers on site, they carefully read wind conditions and made sure—after a test fly—that all was lined up fly the large kite safely.
While on Ishigaki island, Skinner was delighted to find a very special traditional Japanese kite style that wasn’t familiar to him. These elaborately beautiful Pigida kites from Ishigaki island, are famous for their multiple long, skinny spars. With rhomboid shape, bamboo lattice and laminated paper, they were adorned with hummers for the festival. Traditionally, these kites are white, though the one Skinner purchased, made by young kite maker, Kazuhiko Yosekawa, was painted more contemporarily.
Also featured as a speciality to this area were traditional bamboo “butterfly” line climbers called Shakushime. The butterfly design and colors are typical Okinawa style, where these line climbers are called Futan.