Hi, I'm new here and while I've played with kendama's since I was a kid, I never geeked out on them, nor realized how much of a scene there is dedicated to them. I'm the definition of an "egg" if there ever was one, and I grew up as a gaijin kid in Japan where kendamas were just another toy in the box. I now live in SoCal, but due to my work, friends, and special others I can easily go a day speaking more Japanese than English. I enjoy wood working, crafting, and DIY projects, and recently I have been thinking of making some customized kendama's as gifts for a few younger kids (and maybe a few older "kids" too). Essentially I'm only looking to cosmetically change them (i.e. paint, polish, stencil, stain, etc), and would like to know if anyone had any good advice on where to get some decent barebones / plain wood kendamas. I'm not looking for dirt cheap as I'd like it if they didn't break right away, but on the other hand I'm not interested in paying a premium for an already finished one that I'm just going to cover up. Thanks in advance for any helpful advice you might have! -Jon
Welcome Jon! I'm glad you found your way to DS! If you're looking for a good platform for customization, I'd recommend a natty Ozora: https://shop.kendamausa.com/collections/natural/products/ozora-kendama-woodgrain Ozora has a TON of history and their kendamas are top notch quality. For a more modern shape, check out the sweets natty prime: https://sweetskendamas.com/products/natty-prime. They play amazing and are super durable in my experience. This is a biiiit different, but you can also check out Cobra for super cheap nattys with more interesting woods that just beech: https://www.cobrakendama.com/collections/all/products/zebrano-stripe I have one of these Zebranos and it's actually a pretty solid dama. Good lunar balance and seems to be well made.
Thanks so much for the welcome Qonnor, and for the suggestions! Also thanks for introducing me to my first kendama jargon, "natty". I feel I am making progress! These look like some good options, albeit to be honest, I can't discern what is "modern" or different between the Ozora or Sweets shapes. Can you share? Is one better for beginners than the other?
You got me looking at the Kendama USA website and I saw this package, https://shop.kendamausa.com/collections/sale/products/tk16-master-kendama-bundle, in their sale section. Shipping aside, 3 for $27.00 ($29.99 - 10% off w/ tapback10 discount code) seems like a decent deal if the TK16 is a good kendama. The tama's are pre-colored but not a deal breaker.
I feel so honored to have exposed you to some jargon! This thread has a ton: https://www.downspike.com/threads/kendama-slang.342/ A big part of what we talk about regarding kendamas themselves is their shape. This has to do with the shape of the ken itself. In recent years, there has been what I would describe as a scene-wide shift towards slightly larger kens with bigger cups and a tama with a larger bevel (or hole). This makes certain tricks "easier" to hit. In addition to larger features, kendamas are become more over-designed in general. Now, companies are engineering damas specifically for certain tricks (take the Yumu Eclipse: https://www.downspike.com/threads/yumu-eclipse-ken.2812/). The DS community seems to span a wide range in terms of feelings about oversized cups. Might be here to stay, might be a fad, but either way it is sort of the direction that most new kendamas coming out right now seem to be headed in my opinion. The Sweets Prime I recommended above fits pretty solidly into this camp. Traditionally, kendamas were designed to meet JKA standards. I don't even want to try and summarize that because there are people on this site who could do it soooo much better. Read Alex Smiths summary for an eloquent, concise, history: https://www.downspike.com/threads/jka-kendamas.375/ In short, smaller kens, smaller tama holes, smaller cups, and icy paint (when there is paint). The Ozora I recommended above is definitely a more traditional kendama. Like the Ozora, the TK16s you linked come from Japan and are exactly what you'd expect to see at a JKA competition. Any pro player who's been in the game for more than 5 years probably started playing kendama on a TK16 or Ozora. They are absolute classics and everyone should try one. In terms of what kendama is going to better for beginners, we actually have a really recent thread that a bunch of WAY more seasoned players than me have been discussing this exact question on. Check it out here: https://www.downspike.com/threads/are-we-lying-about-the-best-beginner-kendama.1702/
@Jon_Hirappa you might also head over to these threads: Beginner Resources Shades of Grain Kendama Comparisons - Need to update this one when I'm back in Tokyo; all my gear is there.
What did you have in mind for customization? Were you looking to customize the ken or the tama portion? If you are wanting to start off by customizing the ken I would go with the Tk16 because they are relatively cheap but still a good kendama. Tk16s also have a seal so customized kendamas really look cool around a seal. I would stay clear of darker woods if you are just beginning to customize kendamas as they generally take a different creative approach. I would also recommend a "tighter" grain wood, such as maple or birch, as they tend to provide a more consistently smooth canvas for customization. The maple Ozora would be a great example of this but it costs a little more than a TK16
Wow, I just realized how much of a rabbit hole this is going to be... @Qonnor, thanks again for the very detailed response and for finding such excellent links to accompany it. My problem seems to be that I don't knowing what I don't know and therefore don't know how best to search for their answers. Your help is really appreciated! @goenKendama! Those links are awesome too, and that "Shades of Grain" link is right on point with what I was considering doing. Thanks for putting in all the hard work and for sharing it with the community so others can benefit too. @lategreat808, thanks for your input as well. What I am considering is some wood finish/staining work on the ken and sarado coupled with some custom paint on the tama with maybe the recipients name stenciled out. Regarding the seal on the TK16, is this just a sticker? If applying stains or other wood finishes, I would assume it would need to be removed. Is there a way around this so the sticker can be retained?
On the Shades of Grain project I very carefully remove stickers then take plastic packing tape to pull out the rest of the sticker glue from the wood grain. It takes a while but you'll be able to feel the difference before applying any finishes. Then to put i back on I tend to use a glue stick and rub the excess glue from the center of the sticker to the edges and remove it with my finger or a toothpick since it comes out like a paste not a liquid. Oh, and you're most welcome. I geek out on occasion and sometimes the output is useful.