How to Make a Japanese Kite

Making a kite can be as fun as flying one.

The Japanese have used kites for various celebrations in Japan such as Children's Day (May 5th) for over a millennium. There are numerous different designs for Japanese kites, ranging from simple T-crossed frames to much more complicated box-shaped designs. The "Rokkaku," or six-sided, kite is a moderately difficult design that is perfect for craft projects for people ages 8 and up.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• 2 Pieces of rip-stop nylon
• Pencil
• Double stick tape
• 3 Bamboo poles (wooden dowels work as a substitute)
• Cloth tape
• String
• 5 Toothpicks
• Ruler

Instructions

1. Take one piece of nylon, and run the double stick tape along the edge of nylon. The size of the nylon is up to the designer, but the pieces of nylon need to be in the shape of a rectangle. Place the tape along the short end of the rectangle.

2. Place the edge of the second sheet of nylon along the edge of the tape so that the two pieces of nylon are even and slightly overlapping.

3. Place the now large rectangle so that short ends are the top and bottom, and the two long ends are the sides. Measure the midway point for one of the pieces of nylon, and draw a vertical line in pencil along the length of the kite on both pieces of nylon. This line will run perpendicular to the tape.

4. Find the midpoint on each piece of nylon along the vertical line, and then draw a line running horizontally from the midpoint to both the outside edges on each piece. These two lines will run parallel to the taped portion.

5. 

   The shape should look similar to the hexagon at the bottom.

   Cut the kite into the shape of a hexagon. Cut from the end of the horizontal lines drawn in Step 4 inward to the point of the vertical line drawn from Step 3 on both pieces of nylon.

6. Cut a bamboo pole the same length as that of the kite. Place the pole along the length of the kite, following the first line drawn.

7. Tape the end of the bamboo pole at both the top and the bottom of the kite using the adhesive cloth tape. Place the tape at the bottom side of the kite and have it extend over the bamboo pole from the other side.

8. Cut the other two bamboo poles to fit the width of the kit. Place them on top of the vertical pole, running horizontally along the lines drawn in Step 4 so that they meet the corners where the kite begins to come inwards.

9. Place tape on the underside of each of the four corners, and tape it to the bamboo poles like in Step 7.

10. Tape the the horizontal poles to the vertical pole at the point that they intersect. This provides extra support for the kite.

11. Place a toothpick in a piece of tape 3 inches long.

12. Fold 1 inch of the tape over the toothpick leaving 2 inches of tape overhang, with the toothpick at the far end.

13. Break off the ends of the toothpick so that they do not stick out from the tape.

14. Poke a hole through the tape in the center of the tape below the toothpick with another toothpick. Repeat Steps 10-13 for four toothpicks.

15. Tape the four toothpick tapes on the top of the four corners where the bamboo meets the nylon.

16. Thread string through each of the four toothpick tape holes, and connect the string at the middle of the kite, leaving about 3 inches of slack string.

17. Tie a long string to the knot where the other strings meet. The long string should be the length that you want your kite to fly.

Tips & Warnings

• For decoration each piece of nylon should be a different color.

References

• Video of Making a Rokkaku Kite
• Kiteman: Japanese Kite History

Resources

• Japanese Kites: Make and Fly Kites