Kite flying has become one of the plays of the New Year’s holidays since the late Edo period, when a kite with Kabuki actor’s image or famous wartime warrior’s image painted on it was considered to have a magical power or bring good luck. The appeal of kite flying lies in how to control a kite, taking the length and tension of the string and the wind direction into consideration. Besides the competition for the height of flying, there are also several kinds of kite fighting games called tako-gassen or kenka-dako. In the kite fighting, you will contrive the ways to keep flying your kite longer than others by crashing it to or cutting off the string of the competing kites. Many kite flying contests in design and display are held all over the country.