battledore; hagoita paddle
A rectangular wooden paddle used in the traditional Japanese game hanetsuki, similar to badminton but without a net. Often decoratively painted and given as a New Year's gift.
お正月に羽子板で羽根つきをして遊んだ。
We played hanetsuki with hagoita paddles during the New Year.
This hagoita is decorated with beautiful raised cloth pictures.
Compound of 羽子 (hago, 'shuttlecock') + 板 (ita, 'board'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word clearly describes the paddle used to hit the shuttlecock.