Cultural Identity of Japanese Americans in Hawai’i

Folk Toys and Games From Japan

“Today no other country in the world equals Japan in the variety, number, and production of folk toys” – THE FOLK ARTS OF JAPAN by Hugo Munsterberg

During the Edo period of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1867) there were no less than one hundred centers of folk-toy production. From records, it appears that the oldest folk toys came from Fushimi, near Kyoto.

The beginning of Japanese folk toys is associated with magical and superstitious practices. For example, in the earliest art of Japanese dolls, it was thought that the dolls held the spirits of the ancestors or the gods; therefore, it was believed the dolls had magical powers. Another ancient belief is that setting paper dolls afloat on a river or stream would carry away the evil forces and bad luck.

Although, like other fields of folk art, cheap, modern, machine made toys have tended to replace the traditional handmade toys, many folk-toy production centers still exist and produce large quantities of folk toys. The Tohoku region is the most outstanding for folk toy production. Other parts of the country which are also famous for their toys are: Shikoku, Nagano, Tottori, Shimane, Toyama, and Kumamoto.

Toys and Games of Plantation Days in Hawaii Through Present Day Hawaii

“Issei parents (1^st generation Japanese in Hawaii) brought with them games that they, as children, played in Japan which they introduced to their Hawaii-born children. But, even those games were re-shaped to acquire their own distinctive flavor, matching Hawaii’s multi-cultural society.” – “Bento to Mixed Plate.” Japanese American National Museum

Upon examining some of the toys and games of the Nisei (2^nd generation Japanese in Hawaii) and Sansei (3^rd generation Japanese in Hawaii) youngsters, today’s students will be able to get a glimpse at what the children during the plantation days in Hawaii did for recreation during their spare time. It will offer them an opportunity to see the resourcefulness and creativity of those youngsters in adapting to their new economic situation and environment in Hawaii by recycling discarded household products and using the natural resources around them.

The students will gain insight into how toys and games are ever changing by seeing how kids in multi-cultural Hawaii adapted and changed games of the past.

Involving the students in playing, adapting, and/or replicating toys and games from the past can help them better understand the need for and satisfaction of diversion and amusement by those youngsters. Involvement can aid in students understand understanding the role resourcefulness and creativity plays in creating and/or adapting toys and games from recycled products and/or natural resources from the environment.