A Koi That Lives Beyond the Brush

May 5, 2026

「EP.128」加須の手書きこいのぼり

A KOI THAT LIVES BEYOND THE BRUSH

Saitama Prefecture

「transcript」

Saitama's Kazo City (加須市) is known as the "town of koinobori," traditionally flown on Children’s Day.

In the early Meiji era, lantern and umbrella craftsmen began making these carp streamers as a side business. After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 disrupted Tokyo’s supply, buyers turned to Kazo.

Each piece was made from cotton and painted entirely by hand, using 12 colors across 18 steps until the final black eye gave the koi its life.

No two were ever the same. Each brushstroke gave the koi movement, as if it was already swimming before it met the wind.

At its peak, over 40 workshops produced koinobori by hand, filling the city with drying carp streamers. But by the 1960s, nylon and printed designs took over.

Soon, even the last producer of hand-made koinobori in Kazo had to close in 2016.

Yet Kazo remains one of Japan’s largest production centers for koinobori, and its identity lives on. Every year, a 100-meter koinobori is raised during local festivals, created with the hands of the community.

And beyond Kazo, artisans across Japan continue the hand-painted tradition.

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