Kendama may be viewed as a simple game on the surface. Though if you take the time to look deeply into the intricate design you can see that the tricks can evolve into complex fabrications only the imagination can craft. It takes a deep concentration, an intense focus of coordination, and perseverance to master sometimes even the simplest of tricks. When I play I leave behind a world of chaos and find the order between the seams. In my zone, I find the things that stress me melt away and I’m left with a peace that transcends time. My normally shaky hands find the grain within the wood and lock ..read more

Forewords First and foremost, sorry for the long delay! Life, as you all know, can get so crazy and busy. I almost haven’t even had the time to play kendama, but we gotta get our fix. From here on out the posts will increase and eventually become regular. Thank you for your patience and continued support! Edit Videos Many long-time kendama players advice to make edit videos. These edit videos are compilations of kendama tricks you cut together and post online. Now if you’re anything like me, just the thought of posting a video of yourself online is scary. From the criticism of my skills as a p ..read more

What’s the difference in wood? Woah! What a strange and technical question right? It may not seem like much of a difference when considering the question at face value, but beyond the visual aspect, the difference can make a huge impact on playability. Though very subtle, the differences between the feel and weight of certain woods can change the performance of a player. Consider this, if an adult player who is familiar with the traditional beechwood kendamas, buys a purple heart (very dense & heavy) wood kendama and has no issues with lacing his favorite tricks but feels the strain of t ..read more

Let me be the first to welcome you on your journey of excellence. Starting a new adventure is always exciting, a little nerve racking, and oh so fulfilling. Now I’m sure you have many questions as you embark on honing your kendama skills. I know I sure did when I began, I will start by answering a question that had me scouring the internet in pursuit of just the right answer. That question was: What is the best starter kendama? After spending a few days online, I quickly came across numerous answers from avid kendama players. All providing their own stories of when they began and recommendatio ..read more

Brushing Up On Basics We tend to forget about the basics. Often though I find like in life, when playing kendama going back to the basics strengthens my foundations and allows me to more easily land difficult tricks. If you have played you know what I mean. * Whirlwind check *. Hope you have those earth turns and ken flips honed. I’ve been recently trying to practice the stilts and the precision needed to catch the ken on the tama can only come from endlessly doing airplanes and birdhouses until they’re honed to perfection. Here are a few basics I started with and always go back to for furth ..read more

What is a “Kendama?” A kendama is an incredibly fun skill toy that can be played solo to entertain or as a game for competition. The game itself is a variation of the traditional ball & cup game, the principle idea is to catch or balance one part of it on another part. The origins of the original ball & cup game are still disputed but the current kendama was created and patented by Issei Fujiwara, a renowned Japanese author, and has gone through very little changes. The modern kendama features such a unique design that an almost infinite amount of trick combinations can be made. The i ..read more

Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton Inspired by the game of kendama, I’ve decided to create this blog to seek further inspiration and inspire others in turn. Following some research after a desire for a new hobby and a dream, I soon owned my first sunrise pink kendama. Pink, because it’s the best color. As the big kid I am, the moment it arrived I immediately started playing and was hooked instantly. The difficulty of the new physical actions were refreshing. After about 2 weeks of almost constant play I had gotten pretty good at spikin ..read more