Kendama 剣玉 (Japanese cup and ball game)
“Kendama”【けん玉】 is traditional Japanese game.
It’s called cup and ball game in English.
Hi!
This is not typically an Oshougatsu game, but Kendama
is often played. There is no connection to age, so maybe this is why it played often on Oshougatsu, when family members gather together.
The roots is unknown but the same toy is played around the world such as America, France, and Germany.
A wooden stick, that has three cups, is tied with a ball, that has a hole, by a string.
You try to put the ball on the cup, or try to put the stick into the ball.
A Kendama for competition is made in Japan, and it’s beginning to be hot in Japan.
Tricks and names for them are invented in Japan, there are over 1,000 techniques to enjoy Kendama.
Kendama is also good at raise your concentration and patience.