Japanese Kendama Turtle and Crane pattern - KAME TSURU

What is a Kendama?

The Kendama is a traditional wooden toy from Japan. Also called Japanese cup and ball, it is a game which consists of catching the ball with the handle, while performing technical and fun figures. You will have understood that Kendama is a game of skill.

Appeared several centuries ago, it was in the 2000s that Kendama is becoming popular in the hands of practitioners of freestyle disciplines such as skiing and rollerblading. The phenomenon is growing and different player scenes are emerging, mainly in the United States, Canada, but also in Europe. Halfway between a game and a sport, the practice of this curious object attracts new fans every month.

What does a Kendama look like?

The Kendama is a wooden toy made up of 2 distinct parts which are call Ken and Tama. The manufacture of this toy is carried out using a wood lathe or a numerical control.

The KEN

This part, related to the handle, is made up of 2 pieces fitted together tightly , the Sarado and the Sword.

The Ken has 3 cups of decreasing sizes “Big cup, Little cup , Base cup” and a tip called “Spike”.

The TAMA

This part consists of a ball with a hole in its center , whose conical entrance is called the “Bevel”.

All of the 2 pieces, KEN and TAMA, are connected by a nylon string.

How to play Kendama?

It's best to start playing Kendamawith the handle in hand. The primary goal of the game is to make the ball travel across the different Ken cups. It is also possible to try to place the ball on the tip. The different ways of holding the Kendama are called the “Grip”.

Thousands of figures exist, which offers the player Kendamaenormous room for improvement and almost infinite creative potential! It is still possible to discover new figures today. Its practice requires time and perseverance but rewards you with satisfaction.

What are the benefits of Kendama?

In addition to being very fun the Kendamadoes you good! In fact, playing this game increases your reflexes, your proprioception and your hand-eye coordination. Concentration and determination are also required, thereby channeling your thoughts towards your goal. Success brings satisfaction, stimulates emotions and promotes self-confidence.

The Japanese have understood this well and the practice of the game among them The child is strongly advised. More than a simple game of skill, playing Kendamais a real complement of life, even a state of mind.

Hence comes the Kendama ?

You now know, the Kendamais a wooden toy straight from Japan. The archives agree that the Japanese importer, to this day mysterious, carried a French bilboquet in his suitcases. It is the latter which underwent a transformation at the beginning of the 20th century to become this fascinating toy!

So it was in 1919 that Hamatsugu Ekusa, a resident of Kure in the Hiroshima region, had the idea of evolving the cup and ball game by grafting two cups onto it. Each of a different size, reminiscent of the moon and the sun, a strong symbol for Japanese ancestors. The handle was revised to provide better grip and its base equipped with a third cup.

Two years later this toy spread across the country as wildfire and mass production begins. It was in the city of Hatsukaichi that the Hongo Woodworking company was the first to launch. Peak production in Japan was 300,000 pieces for the best years, around 1930. It was in a climate of positive energy that the Kendamaacquired. its unifying, addictive power and found its development.

For the anecdote: at the time of the Kings of France the trade was already numerous. And as you may know, the cup and ball game was invented in France and then popularized by King Henry III during his reign. With its return to French soil we like to say that this game reconnects with its origins.