令和初の「変わり羽子板」、両陛下や吉野彰さん登場　人形専門店「久月」

　今年１年間に明るい話題を提供した人物を描いた恒例の「変わり羽子板」が５日午前、東京都台東区の人形専門店「久月」本社で披露された。
　羽子板の風習を知ってもらうために始め、今年で３４回目。令和初の羽子板は計８点で、５月に即位した天皇、皇后両陛下ら１３人が今年の顔に選ばれた。６日まで本社で展示した後、福島、富山、静岡、福岡の百貨店などで公開される。
　ラグビーワールドカップ（Ｗ杯）で活躍したリーチマイケル選手、リチウムイオン電池の開発でノーベル化学賞の受賞が決まった吉野彰・旭化成名誉フェローや、結婚が話題となった小泉進次郎環境相とフリーアナウンサーの滝川クリステルさんらが登場した。（2019/12/05-10:18）

Traditional Japanese doll maker Kyugetsu Co. unveiled Thursday colorful "hagoita" wooden paddles featuring 13 people who attracted widespread public attention this year, including Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
   The routine hagoita-unveiling event, held at Kyugetsu's headquarters in Tokyo, was the 34th of its kind since the company started making special hagoita as part of an effort to get people to know hagoita paddles.
   In the first set created in the new Reiwa era, the company created eight such hagoita. Reiwa began on May 1, when Emperor Naruhito assumed the throne.
   Hagoita paddles are used in "hanetsuki," a traditional Japanese game that is similar to badminton and played mainly during the New Year holidays.
   The celebrities who decorated this year's hagoita include Michael Leitch, who captained the Japanese national rugby team during its impressive campaign in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and Akira Yoshino, this year's co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized for the development of lithium-ion batteries and honorary fellow of major Japanese chemical maker Asahi Kasei Corp. .