The is a traditional Japanese skill toy; nowadays, it is considered a skill sport or competitive discipline. It consists of a handle (ken), a pair of cups (sarado), and a ball (tama) that are all connected together by a string. On one end of the ken is a cup, while the other end of ken is narrowed down, forming a spike () that fits into the hole () of the tama. The kendama is the Japanese version of the classic cup-and-ball game, and is also a variant of the French cup-and-ball game bilboquet. Kendama can be held in different grips, and many tricks and combinations can be performed. The game is played by tossing the ball into the air and attempting to catch it on the stick point.
The origins of kendama are disputed, but it is generally believed to have originated during the 17th or 18th century. Kendama started to evolve when it came to Japan during the Edo period, and since then the use of the toy has spread throughout the world. The size and materials used to create kendamas now vary as they are offered in jumbo and mini sizes, and have been created out of plastic, metal, and nylon. There are now kendama competitions held in countries all over the world, the biggest competition being the annual Kendama World Cup in Japan.
Terminology and structure
The kendama is traditionally made out of wood and comprises the following parts: Main body . Spike . Big cup . Base cup . Small cup . Ball . Hole . String . Cup body . Small cup edge . Big cup for lunars . Slip-stop or slip grip . Back end . String attachment hole .
Stringing a kendama "Stringing" a kendama is the action of connecting all three pieces of the kendama (ken, sarado, and tama) together. A bead (or mini bearing) and a piece of string are required to string a kendama. The steps to string a kendama are as follows: Take one end of the string and put it through the little hole in the tama until the string is coming through the big hole (). Put the bead on the end of the string coming out of the and tie a knot to lock the bead in. Put the untied end of the string through one of the two holes in the sarado. (Note: For a right-handed kendama, hold the sarado up so that the big cup is on the right side and put the string through the hole that is facing self. For a left-handed kendama, make sure the big cup is on the left side and put the string through the hole facing self). Lead the string through the hole in the ken. Tie a knot at that end of the string so the string doesn't slip through the ken piece. Put the sarado down on top of the ken.
Grips A kendama can be held in numerous types of grips. Choosing the type of grip to hold the kendama depends on which trick a person wants to perform. Some of these grips include:
Ken grip: Hold the ken with all five fingers with the spike pointing upwards and the big cup (or small cup) facing towards the body Sara grip: hold the ken by placing the thumb and index finger below the intersection of the sarado and ken Sara grip (stabilized): In addition to the thumb and index finger placement, Place the middle and ring finger underneath the small cup or big cup (this depends on which way the ken is facing). Tama grip: With the fingertips, hold the ball (tama) with the hole () facing upwards. Candle grip: Face the ken with the spike pointed downward. Hold the ken with three fingers: index, middle, and the thumb.
Gameplay The general concept of kendama is pulling the ken up and balancing the tama somewhere on the ken, or vice versa. There are not any specific rules on how to play kendama. However, bending the knees while playing kendama is a method that experts use. Endless tricks and trick combinations can be made with just ken grip, sara grip, tama grip, and candle grip by themselves or together in a combination. Some examples of tricks in each of these grips are as follows:
Ken grip Spike: This trick involves the hole in the tama and the spike. Hold the ken with the spike pointing straight up Hold the ball with the off hand to ensure the ball is still before starting the motion of this trick Bend the knees Pull the tama up with the entire body Catch the ball in the spike by directing the spike underneath the hole in the tama
Swing Spike: a variation of the Spike.
Hold the ken in a way similar to preparing a spike Hold the ball with the opposite hand and slightly bring it back towards the body, keeping the tension in the string Let go of the ball and swing the ball out in front of self Tug the string a bit to make the ball rotate the hole 360° towards self Catch the tama on the spike by connecting the spike and the hole together.
Around Japan: This trick is a combination of the big cup, small cup, and the spike.
Pull the ball up into the small cup Hop the ball over to the big cup by rotating the wrist to the right (and vice versa if left handed) Keep an eye on the hole, and hop the ball up onto the spike, connecting the hole and spike together Note: The following combination is also ok: big cup→small cup→spike.
Note: This trick can also be done in sara grip.
Around the World: Similar to Around the Block, with the addition of the spike. Follow all the steps from "Around the Block" Keep an eye on the hole, and from the bottom cup, hop the ball up and catch the ball by landing the hole on to the spike
Both of these tricks can also be done in "sara grip."
Bird: This trick involves the ball, the hole, the spike, and the big cup or small cup edge. Hold the ken with the spike facing upwards with the big cup (or small cup) facing towards self Tilt the kendama slightly away from self Bend the knees, and extend them while pulling the ball straight up Balance the hole of the ball on the big cup edge (or small cup edge) while the ball leans against the spike
Sara grip Moshikame: This is a combination of the big cup and bottom cup. Pull the ball up into the big cup Bend the knees and hop the ball up into the air While the ball is in mid-air, rotate the ken downwards so that the bottom cup is facing up Catch the ball in the bottom cup.
Clack back: This trick uses the big cup (or small cup) and the end of the handle. Pull the ball up onto the big cup Lean the ken about 45° downward so that the basecup turns starts to face toward the ground, causing the ball to start to fall off the big cup "Clack" (hit) the ball with the back end of the ken Catch the ball on the big cup
Tama grip Airplane: This trick involves the hole in the ball and the spike. "Airplane" mirrors the movement pattern of "Swing Spike." Hold the ball with the hole facing upwards Grab the ken with the off hand to stabilize it With the offhand, slightly pull the ken back Release the ken with the off hand Pull ken in mid-air so it rotates 180° towards self, making the ken face downwards Catch the spike in the hole
Lighthouse: This trick involves the base cup and the ball. Hold the ken steady with the off hand to stabilize it Pull the ken gently upwards, having the ken rise above the tama and ensuring the ken stays stable throughout the movement Place the ball under the bottom cup as the ken rises higher than the ball Balance the ken on top of the ball
Lunar: this trick involves the big cup and the ball. Grab the ken with the off hand to stabilize it With the offhand, slightly pull the ken back While releasing, give the ken a slight twist so the big cup is facing you Pull the ken back to you in a similar fashion to the "airplane" trick, and then land the ken on the tama on its big cup Balance the ken on its big cup on top of the ball Candle grip
Candlestick: This trick involves the base cup. Pull or swing the ball upwards onto the bottom cup
History
Origins, Precursors, and Parallels
The origins of the game are disputed. It is believed by some to be a variant of the French ball-and-cup game bilboquet (bil "ball" boquet "small tree"), a toy that dates back to the 16th century and was popular in Europe during the 17th century. During that same period the kendama is believed to have arrived in Japan via the Silk Road from China during the Edo period (1600-1868).
Hatsukaichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture is considered to be the birthplace of the modern Japanese Kendama due to the city becoming the first place for kendama manufacturing. Hamagatsu Ekusa created the shape of the kendama that is widely recognized today in 1919 in Kure city. During the early 20th century the toy had two side cups and was called a jitsugetsu ball ., literally translating to "sun and moon ball", because of the ball's representation of the sun and the cups' likeness to the crescent moon.
Models Despite not being originated in Japan, the shape of kendama that is known today was formed and evolved in Japan.
The dates of when the following 3 kendama models were made or seen are undocumented:
"Deer horn and ball" was the form that the kendama took on when it arrived in Japan for the first time, literally a deer horn attached to a ball. Later on, some people replaced the deer horn with a piece of bamboo due to deer horn costing too many resources, making the bamboo and ball. The next model started to resemble what the kendama looks like today: the ken and ball. This model was a ken piece strung to the ball.
The jisugetsu ball kendama model was the first model made by Ekusa (1919), and later went on to be produced as many as 300,000 times in one year by Hongo woodworking factory in Hatsukaichi (1921). The jisugetsu has a similar design as lined folk craft kendamas, which were made by factories that also produced Kokeshi dolls from spinning lathe machines. The strings of both the jisugetsu ball and folk craft kendamas were placed on the ken using a loose metal fitting, making the string prone to detaching or breaking.
The S (Shinma)-Type kendama was the first competition style kendama invented in 1975 by Hideo Shinma, the president of the Tokyo Kendama Club. The first S-type prototype emerged in 1976, and the Japan Kendama Association (JKA) asked Shinma to make them a competition style model based on the S-Type design in 1977.
The F (Fujiwara)-Type (F16) kendama emerged in 1978, invented by Issei Fujiwara. The F-Type incorporated new modifications unknown to kendamas at the time. The F-Type had two small holes drilled in the middle of each side of the sarado, and also used a sturdier string that was unlikely to break. The two string holes in the sarado offer more fluidity of play as well as the option to switch the kendama between left handed or right handed.
The Tortoise kendama by Tortoise, Inc. was a take on the S-type kendama after the S-type discontinued in 1990. Tortoise kendamas came in different models: the T-8, T-14, T-16, and T-17. The numbers indicating each different Tortoise model corresponds with the height of each model in centimeters. Tortoise kendamas stopped production in 2012 due to not having enough resources.
The F16-2, the second version of the F16, was released in 2001. The main change in the F16-2 from the F16 is that the position of the string hole was moved slightly off from the cup body's center, enabling the kendama to turn and rotate in a new fluid way. This string hole adjustment is still used in various shapes of kendamas to this day.
Contemporary culture Kendama has increased in popularity since its initial evolution in Japan. During the 2000s, kendama surged in popularity outside Japan, which influenced the creation of the first kendama companies in foreign countries.
The first kendama company in the United States was Kendama USA in 2006. They began to promote kendama in North America and were able to reach the winter sports, BMX, and rollerblading communities.