Ohh yes, these. If i recall correctly, the seal writes "Special Recommendation". Not too sure what it means, so i'd like to summon @maxdesu to clarify! I like how the new seals look, though. Super love the simplicity behind the JKA 40th seal. That's my favorite thus far.
I've always been a fan of the keyaki Shin Fujis. Cheap, light, durable, good lunar balance and that fat shape. The new, "Minna no kendama" (translates to "Everyone's Kendama") has changed their shape of the base cup rim & the slip grip. The bigger cup rim helps with stalls. The interesting slip grip shape takes some weight off the base for better lunar balance but makes solid stalls very difficult. They even made a small one for little kids. Imagine the base cup where the slip stop is. I gotta get a pic of it to post.
I'd love to get my hands on a JKA Shin Fuji though. Hopefully they'll have it by the time i visit Tokyo! And the Minna as well. Any idea where i could still get em'?
Hey @azleonhart Ive always seen shinfuji at Narita airport (picked up my natty there) in the past and also in the little gift stores around Asakusa.
@azleonhart Here's an online shop, Goods from Japan, that ships all over. Maybe that would work for you.
Unless you turn it into a Frankendama with a 3cm bolt through its neck. I went nuts fiddling with one a while back, changed the tama hole and string hole in the sarado too.
Thanks, MJ and Stu! I'll be coming over for the cherry blossom, hope to hang out, especially with you, MJ! Thanks Goen! I regularly order my color strings from them, but i'll be heading over to Japan in a few months!
I'm pretty sure kendama syndicate has JKA shin fuji for $10 @htimSxelA, in case you are still looking for that TK16 in red https://kendamasyndicate.com/product/tk16-solids-red/
@Ben Lowe i told about this at one of your videos. that tk16 of yours is one of the last. @htimSxelA does the shin fuji & tk's uncertified situation has to do with JKA itself? it's kinda politics at my opinion. with only ozora & hajimete being the only company left certified. also it's a bit strange that ozora had tried different paints & woods, still they're still jka approved. Rumors to me that shin fuji had tried to change their paints & shape that jka didn't approve. also the tk's change of shape wasn't. any thoughts?
I was at jka's head office and I was in search of this sticker. And I was told it is not jka's it's a knockoff.
This was posted last week on the BKA forum by one of the members who follows this twitter account. Kendama Mejin(Profesional) https://twitter.com/Taka_yoyo/status/829499571386486784/photo/1 Anyway looks legit but will have to wait and see. New JKA kendama seal looks light blue and it looks very TK16 to my eyes. I says it's made in China and at a guess I'd say, as the OP sugested, the same factory as the TK16 was made in. This may deserve its own thread?! @htimSxelA
As strange as it may sound. I was told that it was very hard to print the pink stickers. The pink in combination with the gold gave troubles.
Interesting! I wasn't aware there were knockoffs that old haha. Good find, I hadn't seen this new dama yet! It does look tk16-esque.. hmm