Takeuma

Takeuma are stilts made by lengths of bamboo outfitted with special wooden footrests which measures about one to two meters long. Children use them as toys by climbing on them as on a horse(uma), grasping the top part of the bamboo poles and walking around .In the past, children would cut leafy bamboo to an appropriate length, tie a string to the roots in place of reins and play by mounting this as if it were a horse. After some modifications, this became takeuma

The origin of the word takeuma (lit., “bamboo horse”) comes from an ancient Chinese game in which people rode bamboo contrivances made to use like horses. It is said that takeuma as we know them today became widespread from the Edo period onwards.

Today, takeuma made from plastic are the norm. Playing with takeuma is said to be useful in fostering balance, and it is a common fixture of play equipment, along with unicycles, at elementary schools and children’s recreation centers. There are some Japanese elementary schools that invite grandparents, parents, and children to make their own takeuma; students help one another in making their stilts in class, and hold competitions in which footraces and relay races are all done on stilts.

It takes some skill and experience to know how to secure the footrests such that they may bear the weight of a rider as large as an adult. Takeuma are still used in various holiday celebrations. In addition, as an event for the summer solstice in Northern Europe, there is a game with a wooden horse similar to takeuma.