Three unequal cups
A common modern kendama has a large and a small cup on the crosspiece, plus a medium cup at the handle’s base. Each can receive the ball. Their different sizes create different targets.
Illustrated Japanese Culture
Kendama
けん玉
Kendama is a skill toy with a tethered ball, three cups and a spike. Players catch the ball in a cup, land its hole on the spike or balance the handle on the ball.
Ball, string, three cups and spikeParts
Nichigetsu ball, registered in 1919Modern precursor
Held in Hatsukaichi since 2014World Cup
01
Two pieces, several landing points
The catching hole is separate from the cord attachment.
The spike and the ball’s hole
The ball is connected by a string and has a hole that fits over the spike. The same object can be played with the handle or the ball in the hand, changing which part moves through the air.
02
Grip and body movement
The grip follows the trick
Basic grips include holding for the large cup, holding the handle, the downward-pointing candle grip and holding the ball. For a ball grip used to receive the spike, keep the hole facing upward. Each grip positions the intended landing surface.
Side-view diagrams isolate knee movement; hand paths vary by trick.
Lift and cushion with the knees
Begin with bent knees, straighten them as the ball rises, then bend again to receive it. This movement helps lift the ball and cushion its landing.
From a cup catch to a balance
Cup catches and tomeken, landing the ball on the spike, are basic targets. Other tricks transfer the ball between landing points. In the lighthouse balance, the handle stands on the ball rather than the ball landing in a cup.
03
A toy reshaped for production
A wider cup-and-ball family
Related tethered cup-and-ball toys exist in several regions of the world. Kendama belongs to that larger family; its exact route of transmission to Japan remains uncertain.
The nichigetsu ball
Egusa Hamaji’s nichigetsu ball helped establish the form associated with modern kendama. Its utility-model application dates to 1918, registration to 1919 and production in Hatsukaichi to 1921.
Why Hatsukaichi could make it
Hatsukaichi already had woodworking and lathe-working industries. Hongō Woodworks began making the nichigetsu ball in 1921, using that manufacturing base to produce the shaped wooden parts.
04
Standards and international play
Clubs, tests and common equipment
A Tokyo kendama club was formed in 1968 and the Japan Kendama Association in 1975. The association adopted standards related to the S-type in 1977. Common equipment, graded skills and competitions made performances easier to compare, while other models and approaches continued.
The Kendama World Cup
Hatsukaichi has hosted the Kendama World Cup since 2014. International participants and freestyle performance have expanded the modern scene. The World Cup and the association’s grade examinations are distinct systems, with their own purposes and rules.
What can you now explain?
How many cups does a common kendama have?
Three: large, small and medium cups.
Where is the medium cup?
At the base of the handle.
What receives the spike?
The hole in the ball.
Why change the grip?
Different tricks require different landing surfaces and moving parts.
How do the knees help?
They help lift the ball and cushion its landing.
What is tomeken?
Landing the ball’s hole on the spike.
What is balanced in the lighthouse trick?
The handle is balanced upright on the ball.
What happened in 1918, 1919 and 1921?
The nichigetsu utility-model application, registration and start of Hatsukaichi production, respectively.
Why did Hatsukaichi have a useful manufacturing base?
It already had woodworking and lathe-working industries.
Is the World Cup the same as an association grade test?
No. They are different systems.