04/26 Kendamas are Taking Over the World
The Kendama has five main parts: The ball, the ken, the crosspiece, the string, and the bead. The ball is the ball that is tossed into the cups. The ken is the stick that the player holds on to. The crosspiece is the cup that the ball is caught in. The string holds the ball to the ken and the bead is a washer that holds the ball on the string. For competitive play, there are strict regulations as to what dimensions and weights are required for each of these pieces.
Currently, the Japan Kendama Association only sanctions two kendama world for production of the Kendama for competitive play. Those two stores are Yamagata Koubou and H Alpha.
Each trick is so intricate that it requires a different type of grip on the Kendama. Depending on the trick you are performing, you would enlist a different grip of the toy. The primary grips are: Sara grip, Ken grip, Ball grip, and Rosoku grip. Each has its own special characteristics about how to hold the toy. You are either holding the Ken in a certain fashion or starting by holding the ball depending on the trick. The nuances are highly regulated for competitive play.
Outside of the competitive Kendamas, there is area wide variety of different types of Standard Kendamas. Some are plastic and made as toys; some are more folksy and revered as artwork. There is also the Mega Kendama that is significant as trophies as most are too large to actually play with and provided to the winners of competitions.