Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Kendama

Clack, clack, pow. It’s just two pieces of wood connected with a string right? No, it’s more than just that, it’s a traditional Japanese skill toy, that improves focus, determination, and hand-eye coordination. Kendama makes me never want to give up and teaches me nothing is impossible. Kendama can NEVER be mastered. Kendama is a whole new world of possibilities.

Once I pick up the kendama I can’t put it down. I keep trying and trying new tricks. The more I practice a trick the easier it get’s, but no one really realizes what kendama can do. If I wanted to study for a english test I would use the same concept as kendama. I would keep trying and keep trying until I master that “trick”. I could use that same concept for pretty much anything.

Kendama has taught me a lot more than I ever thought 7 months ago. When I first saw the kendama about 10 months ago I liked it and thought it was really fun. Lot’s of kids started to buy them and show off their tricks. Some kids were better than others. I still didn’t have one because I thought that it wasn’t worth $27.99 but as it turns out it was worth 1 million dollars to me.

22 comments:

  1. Hi Harrison, I like the idea of the blog about kendamas, but I do have a question towards the start you said that using kendama helps you believe that nothing is imposable. I also think at the end instead of saying 27.99$ I would say the price range.
    Jake,

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    1. Hey Jake
      Thanks for reading and commenting! I believed nothing is impossible because when I first saw a hard trick like "lunar" I thought that was impossible but the more I watched people do it and learned and practiced I finally got it. That gave me the confidence to do anything.
      Harrison.

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  2. Hi Harrison,

    I really liked how you went in depth on how Kendama isn't just a toy it's an ancient Japanese Skill toy. I was also wondering how old exactly is Kendama? Did the Japanese use it as far back as the Japanese time period we studied FAME in?

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  3. Hi Harrison,

    (updated) I really liked how you went in depth on how Kendama isn't just a toy it's an ancient Japanese Skill toy. I was also wondering how old exactly is Kendama? Did the Japanese use it as far back as the Japanese time period we studied FAME in?

    Sincerely,

    Patrick

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    Replies
    1. Hey Patrick,
      Thanks for commenting and reading! Good questions I did look that up and the kendama arrived in Japan via the Silk Road in around 1777 the feudal period was 1185-1603 so no it was not in the feudal era.
      Thanks
      Harrison

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  4. Hi Harrison,

    I enjoyed this post very much because of my intrest in Kendama! I aslo liked how you mentioned how when you were first introduced to the sport you were not a fan but later you started to enjoy it. One question I have is what kind of wood are the majority of kendamas made of and what time period are they from.

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    1. Hi Abe
      Thanks for commenting and reading. I think the majority of kendamas are made out of ash wood and I think from the 1700s in the silk road.
      Harrison

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  5. Hey Harrison!
    Nice Work!
    I liked this because you explained how kendama is more than just a game. What do you think is the hardest thing to master about kendama?
    Sincerely Alex

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    Replies
    1. Hey Alex,
      Thanks for comenting and reading! I think the hardest thing about mastering it is consistently.
      Harrison

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  6. Hi Harrison
    I liked how you explained how much it means to you and how it has changed the way you look at some other things.
    ~ Spencer

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  7. Hey Harrison!
    I like love this post, because I used to really like kendama and I wanted to know the origin and history of the toy. I like how you went int detail about how you got started. Over all it was a really interesting and well written blog.

    Nic

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  8. Harrison,
    What are your favorite tricks to do? Are some really hard to get? I liked how you explained it's history. I didn't know about that.

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    1. Hey Mahala,
      Thanks for comenting and reading! Some of my favorite tricks are lunar, boarder balence, and stilts. Some of them are really hard because it takes alot of focus and you have to balence it.
      Harrison

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  9. Hi Harrison I liked the story and how you talked about how the kendama changed your life. I was wondering what tricks you do not now and do you still practice even when other people stopped playing with the kendama?

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    1. Hey Eliot,
      Thanks for comenting and reading! I dont do as much cup tricks anymore because there alot easier and I still do kendama at home alot.
      Harrison

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  10. Hey Harrison,
    I liked your post and how you described what the kendama does for the brain. I also like how you used some onomatopoeia . What are your favorite types of kendamas? Good post
    -Wyatt

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    1. Hi Wyatt
      Thanks for reading and commenting! In order my favorite kendamas are OG ozora, kendamausa cherry wood pro model, and last but not least the sweets flow.
      Harrison

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  11. Hey Harrison!
    This was a really cool topic. I loved the detail about kendamas. I honestly didn't know anything about the history. How many kendamas do you have? Any favorite tricks? Great job overall!
    Your buddy,
    Anika

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    1. Hi Anika
      Thanks for reading and commenting! I own about 10 kendamas and some of my favorite tricks or lunar, lighthouse, or stilts these tricks are all ballence tricks and so there really hard.
      Harrison

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  12. Hey Harrison,
    Cool topic. I liked the detail about kendamas and the very beginning. How many kendamas do you own?

    Good job,
    Grace

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    Replies
    1. Hi Grace
      Thanks for reading and commenting! I own about 10 kendamas I know its alot but I really like them.
      Harrison

      Delete
  13. HARRISON,

    Great post I like how you talked about a very unique subject. As you know I am retired pro that used to play for sweets. But anyways I like how you said what YOU thought about the kendama. It is very surprising that the kendama has some history.

    Nice Blog,

    Aiden

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