Kendama is a wooden traditional Japanese toy, consisting of a ken or a “sword” and tama or a “ball” that is connected by string. It may seem like a boring toy for some, but playing kendama requires deep concentration and takes practice, focus, patience, and creativity to master the gameplay. Playing it needs hand and eye coordination, balance, and reflex. And all of these are the necessary things to transform a game into an art, or maybe even technology.
And these are what two Japanese men, Takeshi Kodama and Hiroki Iijima, did in Paris in 2016 for the biggest circus event in the world, the Cirque de Demain.
KODAMAN AND EASY
Iijima introduced Kodama to the playful world of kendama. The two met during a toy-consultancy course. Iijima, also known as “Easy,” was a 23-year old college student then, while Takeshi Kodama, more popularly known as “Kodaman,” was 34 years old and a former salaryman. It is not hard for these two young men to get along well, since they have something in common, which is the love for toys.
The two enjoyed kendama and decided to make it as their career.
THE ZOOMADANKE
In December 2010, the two formed Zoomadanke, a professional kendama performance with their motto, “Change the image of kendama.” The two leveled up the way of playing kendama by mixing up dance performances, hip-hop music, beat box and even traditional Japanese music. The two choreographs all of their movements to make it more entertaining.
Kodama and Easy perform their tricks in public places. They also had a chance to perform in television shows, as well as in other countries like Brazil, Taiwan, Hawaii.
They also have their own YouTube channel where you can watch all of their amazing performances.
FUN WITH ZOOMADANKE: KENDAMA
Because of their love for kendama, the two shared their tricks by producing a book. The book includes some photographs and trick tutorials, which can be easily followed by people who wants to learn “the right way” to play kendama. It also comes with a DVD of Zoomadanke’s performances and a video clip of their tips on how to practice and develop your kendama skills.
This book is part of their mission, making a new image for Kendama.
Even though the two already created a whole new image for the traditional Japanese toy, they are still continuing what they have started. You can catch their magnificent kendama performances soon at Kid’s Carnival in Shibuya on August 29 and at Oyama Shopping District on August 31, 2017.
Sources:
Banner Photo by Alannah Peart. Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons.
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