Kendama

Playing with kendama (lit., “sword and ball”) begins by swinging the ball onto the small, medium, or large “plate (cup),” or making the ball, where it has a hole on one side, fall on the tip of a shaft at one end, called the “sword” (ken). The first challenge is to get the ball to land on the large plate, then on the medium and small plates. The next trick is to make the ball fall on the shaft. This covers the basic moves of the game. After that, everything involves combining the different moves. Many people create original moves, and there are said to be over 1,000 tricks in all.

The roots of kendama are said to be found in the French bilboqueta, a game played in Europe during the nineteenth century. In France, it was played by aristocrats, while in England, it was a game for girls.

Kendama is said to have reached Japan from China via Nagasaki during the Edo period (1603-1867). At the time, it was comprised of a straight stick and a ball. Kendama as we know it today, with three plates and a sword tip, was invented in Hiroshima during the Taisho period (1912-1926). It was an instant hit among children, and was commonly played until the early Showa period (1926-1989).

To promote the spread of kendama as a sport, the NPO Japan Kendama Association founded in 1975 created a standard kendama for competition (kendama with approval stickers are used at competitions), and a rulebook. Today, competitions and grade (kyu, dan) certification meets take place around the country. Skill is ranked in ten kyu (rising from 10 to 1) and six dan (rising from 1 to 6).

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan is also focusing on games as a way to improve children’s physical strength. Since kendama is recognized as a game that requires balance and helps exercise the entire body, including the back and knees, “caravans” comprised of people well-versed in kendama are set to tour elementary schools starting in the 2007 school year