Otedama

Otedama are fabric bags filled with red azuki beans, kernels of rice, or plastic pellet which one plays with juggling, throwing and catching several simultaneously while singing a traditional ditty. The names of the game, pellets used to fill the bags, shape of the bags, and the ways they are played with vary from region to region.

The origins of otedama are said to go back to a game played by nomads living near the Black Sea around 1200 B.C. which spread all over the world via the Silk Road. In Japan, it has been passed down from mothers to their daughters from about 1,200 years ago, but since around 1970, it has not been so commonly played. Otedama was most popular among young girls in post-World War II Japan. The bean bags, called ojami, were sewn together from strips of cloth and contained small azuki beans. During war times, parents could smuggle extra food to their hungry children inside them.

Unfortunately, Otedama is dying out today. The songs that accompanied them have been all but forgotten, and most of the next generation of children have never heard of such a game. Nowadays, otedama are still sold, but they seem to be more for decoration than for play.