Can anyone tell me if the Fuji (Mt. Fuji seal) and the Sakuras are the very first JKA seals in existence? And if anyone is able to, a brief chronological history of JKA kendamas?
@azleonhart check the very first post I put up in this thread, it has some timeline info and pics of the old ones. I think there may be a pic of an F15 somewhere in this thread, I don't have one in my personal collection though. I should prob update with some pics now too! I want to put up a Meijin / Mugen seal comparison...
The Fuji (with the Mt. Fuji seal) were made in 1985. Yes! Recently stumbled across the updated JKA page, detailing a bit of Japanese kendama history! I’ve just started to embark on that quest, too! So far so good! The tough ones like Shin Sakura and Mugen are a bit of a pain, though (the price of a Mugen can literally buy me a hot meal, 3x a day, for about 1.5-2 months! Still trying to acquire a red TK.
Good find with that YK company info page. Quite solidly puts to rest the '80's sakura / 80's fuji' mixup, I've been trying to educate people that they were actually made in the 90s for years now lol. I need to add a red fuji, and a new red tk16, and then I think I've got em all in red! Woo! (Except the very old F15 model)
Do kindly let me know if you manage to get a hold of a red TK! I’ve been looking for one for a while now..
It appears to be a literal translation from English into Japanese but nonsensical otherwise; Japanese don't really understand it or rather wouldn't write it that way.
I'd go with what @goenKendama said @azleonhart . I asked my wife what it said and she said something to do with a magazine, but that it didn't make sense. Kind of like Japanese t-shirts with English on them in Japan.
Ha ha that's the one (of many)! I've actually wondered a few times if there is a carrier to be had correcting these t-shirt makers. Maybe not for myself though, as my spelling and grammar are quite poor
Sadly not so much. I work in an industry in which copywriters are part and have heard from them that sometimes they are resent projects they've corrected because the boss wants them the original way and only really need the copywriter to basically put their seal of approval on them. That's how you end up with "I feel Coke" and "Do you Häagen-Dazs." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯