I just grabbed a shin fuji for cheap from kendama syndicate and I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed with it. BUT, glad I only spent $10. Never having played one or heard anything about them really, I didn't know they were potentially not up to the same standard as ozora and TK16. But, at least with the one I got, that seems to be the case.
I've seen some nice Shinfuji's and their paint on the ones we have in the shop for demo has held up as well as a TK16. The thicker ken has also held up well with our "dama destroying" players. However I believe they and others have used third party manufacturers when demand exceeded their ability to supply. That could be part of the variability seen in some batches.
Yeah it seems like I might have gotten one of the ones that was on the poorer quality side of things. I mean its not straight up terrible, but it definitely lacks the quality that my ozora and TK have. I guess that's the risk taken when having to order online.
I have a lot of respect for their outreach into the younger community and promoting the historical culture of kendama, but kendama shaping is becoming more efficient and improving the capability of potential play! Their resillience to the freestyle scene and differences in shaping will just set their reach further behind, but the dama scene will keep progressing forward with or without them.
As @Matthew Rice said... shin fujis have never really been seen as on par with TK or Ozora, QC-wise. Recently they've gained a little more respect, but they were widely considered the lowest quality option on the market for a loong time (at least in the N American scene). Worth noting they are the cheapest of the JKA damas... in Japan you can find them for as little as 1000-1200 JPY in markets if you're vigilant (thats like $10-12 USD). I think the point at which their rep started to change was when some western players started heading to Japan more regularly, and the noticed that you could purchase keyaki shin fujis pretty easily, and for the same price as the beechwood. I remember being on a trip in 2013, and a couple guys I was with bought a stack of yaki fujis, and then resold them online for a good markup. Back then pretty much every kendama that wasn't a Terra was made from beech or birch, so 98% of players wouldn't have been able to tell what species their dama was made from, and thus keyaki fujis flew under the radar for a long time. My third dama was a keyaki fuji, but I didn't even really notice that until... shit, probably a couple years later. Also worth noting: keyaki isn't always just 'the best!' by default. Like any wood, there are some cuts of lumber that are well-seasoned, dense, beautiful pieces of wood. Other times... not so much. Just try playing a keyaki musou, and then a 'keyaki' kenco, and you'll see the difference. The 'keyaki' that came from the Chinese factories is not true keyaki, I pretty much guarantee it. Keyaki is a species of elm, so from what I've seen I expect that China is just using a Chinese elm species, and marketing it with a buzzword. The kens I've seen made from chinese keyaki are very light, very white in colour, and just don't seem to fit the bill. Plus, Japan does NOT export wood, they're a tiny island with a shit ton of people, they do not have a forestry industry outside of domestic uses. I've been trying to get my hands on some good keyaki for a whiile, trust me it isn't easy!
for what its worth, my only true shinfuji is honed af, and the Minna no Kendamas that I have played have been great. fantastic for the 1300 yen pricetag.
Have been keeping up to date with Hakushinsya's Instagram (i think it's a smart move by being on Insta), and i'm liking their new designs! And good price points, too! http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/hakushinsya-kk/
Figured I might as well post this photo in this thread, might not go with the current topic you guys are talking about but here are my 80s/90s Sakuras. I got them from KUSA and I was l lucky enough to get a cherry and a beech. In any case I'm stoked to own a couple pieces of kendama history.
@goenKendama The new one. Although I may be being overly harsh, as I guess its aimed at younger kids. The old seal is the same as what the not competition approved Ozora and shinfijis used to have on them. I just hope The JKA don't try and change the ozora seal as the old seals yellow, green, black, purple and blue(teal) have an elegance to them.
@Stuart Barron My understanding was they had had some confusion with the older style seals so wanted something that was completely different to avoid misunderstandings; at least in that respect I think they met their goals.
Does anyone have a pic of one of the JKA JAC kendamas? That one was different too, but it was kinda cool. I agree that the current generation of JKA approved are the best looking, though the Mt Fuji and Sakura Blossom seals are pretty rad too!