Kendama USA Wooden Kendama

It’s a traditional Japanese skill toy

Kedama is a traditional Japanese toy made up of a wooden ball and handle connected by string. The toy is played by catching the ball with either one of the three cups on the handle, or by catching the ball by the hole inside it with the long, thin protruding end of the handle. Today, Kendama continues to spread smiles across the globe with professional players competing in the Kendama World Cup each year.

Between the 16th and 17th century Kendama came to Japan. The modern design was perfected in 1919 in Hiroshima prefecture by Hamagatsu Etsuka, who would see over 300,000 of his wooden creations produced in just one year. In the late 1970s, Kendama became popular on the world stage, prompting a need for standards for competition-level toys. The S-type, conceived in 1976 brought forth standards for materials, weight, and specifications that pushed the boundaries of what tricks were possible.

The traditional Japanese toy is popular with children around the world. Aiding in hand-eye coordination development and creativity, play is just as fun as it is beneficial to growth. With supreme skills, players can hope to win up to $5,000 dollars in the Kendama World cup, a yearly competition that brings together the best players from across the globe.