- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Shuttle cock made from a stack of three Chinese coins with light brown feathers fixed into the central holes in the coins [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 15/9/2005]
- Geographical reference
- [Manchuria Manzhou] Liaoning Shenyang or Mukden
- Cultural groups
- Manchu
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1896
- Date collected
- By 1896
- Acquisition information
- Purchased: 1896
- Materials and processes
- Material Metal, Material Bird Feather
- Dimensions
- Diameter: max 250 mm feathers
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1896.62.93
- Associated publications
- This object features in the Museum's audio tour produced in 2010. Transcription as follows: “These bird feathers and bird parts are from all over the world. They have been used to produce a variety of both everyday and ritual objects. At the back of the case on the right is a set of shuttlecocks from Japan and, at the front of the case, a shuttlecock from China. They were collected in the late 20th and early 19th centuries. The shuttlecock is made by fixing a bunch of feathers to a weight, often a cork or a piece of metal. The Chinese example here, although it is hard to see, uses a stack of coins, whilst the Japanese example use soapberries, a hard, leathery fruit native to Asia and so-called because its juices lather with water to make soap. The latter was donated by the widow of Professor Henry Moseley, an Oxford naturalist who may have acquired it in Japan during his round the world expedition aboard HMS Challenger in the 1870s. Moseley was in charge of looking after Pitt Rivers’ collection when it originally came to Oxford in 1882. Both are used in a game, the aim of which is to pass the shuttlecock from person to person, keeping it in the air and not letting it touch the ground. It is usually kicked with the inside of the heel although the knees, hips, shoulders and other parts of the body can also be used, but never the hands. In China the game is known as Ti Jian Zi, whilst in Japan it is called Hanetsuki and it is traditionally played by girls at New Year as a way of expelling bad luck. The game’s simplicity made it popular among all classes and ages. It was used by the military as an exercise for developing quick reflexes, agility and concentration, and today, shuttlecocks is an internationally recognised sport. Shuttlecocks is thought to have originated in China several thousand years ago. A similar game, ‘Battledore and Shuttlecock’, which involved hitting the shuttlecock with a simple bat, may have been played in Ancient Greece before spreading to Europe and the East. Although originally a peasants’ and children’s game, by the 17th century a net had been added and it had become a pastime of the European upper classes. In the mid-1800s, the Duke of Beaufort was playing the game at his home, Badminton House in Gloucestershire England, when it started to rain. Undeterred, he cleared out his dining room, and continued to play the game indoors. This was the birth of the modern game of badminton.” (Written by Bryony Reid and Helen Hales) References: • See RDF • http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Battledore-Shuttlecock.htm • http://www.shuttlecock-europe.org/sport_history.php [HH 26/10/2010] This object was featured in the Museum's audio guide produced during the DCF-funded 'What's Upstairs?' project, 2004–2006. [BR 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 8/11/2005] This object was featured in the Museum’s ‘web gallery’ (‘Selected Objects from the Lower Gallery’) produced during the DCF-funded ‘What’s Upstairs?’ project, 2004–2006, with the following caption: ‘Shuttlecocks is a popular game in China, Japan, India, and Thailand. The aim of the game is to keep the shuttlecock in the air and not to let it touch the ground. The shuttlecock is kicked with the feet, the knees, the hips, and the body, but never with the hands. The game has several descendants including badminton.
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