Updated: Dec. 17, 2018 at 9:55 AM
Battledore market 'Hagoita Ichi' opens in Tokyo (11 images)
Shoppers visit the opening day of the traditional new year's Battledore market "Hagoita Ichi" at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on Monday. Hagiota, or battledore, are decorative bats sold during the new year that are used to play hanetsuki, a game similar to badminton. People also collect the bats for good luck and decorative value.
It is traditional to give a battledore to a newborn girl during the new year as a way to wish good health. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
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A vendor presses a baby's handprint onto the battledore. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
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A hagiota, or battledore, has also traditionally been used by women to ward off evil spirits. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
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