玉Kendama Trick GuideTrick index
The ladder
一

Rank 一 · First contact

Novice

Everything starts here: how you hold the ken, how the tama leaves your hand, and your first four landings. Nothing in kendama works until these are quiet and repeatable.

The rungs · 5 tricks

  1. 01

    The Grip

    握り · Nigiri

    Before any trick: how the ken and tama are held.

  2. 02

    Big Cup

    大皿 · Ōzara

    The first real trick — a straight toss onto the largest cup.

  3. 03

    Small Cup

    小皿 · Kozara

    Same toss, smaller target — precision the big cup lets you fake.

  4. 04

    Base Cup

    中皿 · Nakazara

    The middle cup — the ball must settle between both rims.

  5. 05

    Spike

    剣先 · Kensaki

    Land the tama's hole on the spike — the gateway to every combo.

When the readiness check reads true, move up to rank 二.