Extreme Kendama
August 21, 2013 8:30 PM   Subscribe

In this video, you'll see people doing tricks on skateboards, rollerblades, and kendamas, for which the crowd goes wild. Yes, kendamas, the traditional Japanese wooden toy consisting of a handle, three cups and a spike (the "ken"), and a wooden ball (the "dama") on a string, with a hole opposite of the string. This toy has a long history, and is similar to a number of games found elsewhere in the world. But it wasn't until 1975 that it was formally organized as a competitive sport in Japan by the Japan Kendama Association, which has patented the design of the kendama and designated the tricks required to reach specific rankings.

That's right, kendama has a leveling system, akin to martial arts. One must master the lower levels ("Kyu" and "pre-Dan") before the higher ("Dan"), as described and illustrated here in the form of animated GIFs. If the language in any of these links loses you, here's a dictionary of terms.

But we're really here for the videos, right? Juggling.tv has a series of tutorials, and a ton of demonstration videos. Then there's a master, jugglertakumi on YouTube, who, according to this website, is currently at the 6th Dan. As seen in this video, his tricks are about control, as compared to the showier freestyle work by other players. Speaking of players, here are the three members of the Kendama USA pro team, who you can watch in action here.

If you're daunted by all this, you can simply order a blank Kyu ranking certificate, but you'll have to earn the Dan rankings.

Final note: I was hoping to find more information about the man behind the formalization of kendama, Issei Fujiwara. On many kendama sites, he's listed as the author of children's books, but I couldn't dig anything up. Sokka shot first found what may be a video of Mr. Fujiwara, but there's no kendama in sight.
posted by filthy light thief (7 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
Great post! This stuff is harder than it looks. I have one, and have made a bit of progress with it, but it's pretty daunting.

Personally, I think it's a great toy for a youngster, in the greatest of traditions - "here kid, here's a couple of pieces of wood, a short length of string, and a million tricks you can do with them - don't break anything".
posted by el io at 10:27 PM on August 21, 2013


It's also a great skill to have if you plan on fighting evil with your huge robot dog.
posted by delfin at 7:12 AM on August 22, 2013


They must be serious, they have a van.
posted by calamari kid at 11:12 AM on August 22, 2013


That is *so weird,* I just saw some kids crowding around an art gallery in San Francisco playing with these. As we walked by I couldn't help but make that joke from Family Guy.
posted by Mooseli at 1:12 PM on August 22, 2013


They must be serious, they have a van.

For full disclosure: the first video is a promo for a Kengarden tour, which happened back in July of this year. Kengarden is a Kendama shop (I think) whose primary web presence is their tumblr. This isn't their first kendama + sports tour (2012 looks like it was the first). I know one of the guys on the tour, but only as a family friend and a source of entertaining videos. If you like trick videos, he has a blog with that kind of stuff, including a world champion yoyo player.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:03 PM on August 22, 2013


That's what it's called? We have one, lying on a shelf in my living room. It's old. I have no idea HOW old, but I think it was something I got from my grandmother. There is no string, and the ball is missing, so it is currently not being used.

I would LOVE to find a replacement ball. But as far as I can tell, none of the links containing shopping carts sell replacement balls. String, yes. But for a missing ball, the only option seems to be buying a brand new kendama, which I don't want...
posted by caution live frogs at 1:22 PM on August 23, 2013


OH WAIT found them, except out of stock. How am I going to show my son how uncoordinated I am without a ball?
posted by caution live frogs at 1:32 PM on August 23, 2013


« Older What might be right for you, may not be right for...   |   "I will take the ADD and you can keep the bipolar" Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments