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Kendama Trick Names

These tricks are not listed in order of difficulty.
Japanese script and transliterations kindly provided by Matt Hall. The English names are not necessarily direct translations of the Japanese names: some are, other names have been taken from diabolo (suicides), and others were chosen for their visual imagery, or just because we liked them.
Trick Number

Japanese Name
(Japanese script)

Japanese Name
(Roman letters)

English Name
(Notes)
1
大皿 oozara Big cup
2
リフティング大皿 rifutingu oozara Knee bounce
3
小皿 kozara Small cup
4
中皿 chuuzara Base cup
5
野球けん yakyuu ken Baseball
6
ろうそく rousoku Candle
7
遠心力 enshinryoku Centrifugal force
8
つばめ返し tsubame kaeshi Orbit
9
はやて中皿 hayate chuuzara Fast hand base cup
10
空中ブランコ kuuchuu buranko Trapeze acrobats
11
トルネード中皿 toruneedo chuuzara Tornado base cup
12
もしかめ moshi kame Moshi kame
13
かじ屋 kajiya Tapback
14
大波小波 oonami konami Rock the baby
15
とめけん tomeken Tomeken
16
居合いとめけん iai tomeken Faster than gravity
17
おとしだま otoshi dama Dead drop
18
掛け軸返しとめけん kakejiku kaeshi tomeken Whirlwind tomeken
19
やじろべえとめけん yajirobee tomeken Pinkie snatch
20
つるしとめけん tsurushi tomeken Hanging tomeken
21
飛行機 hikouki Aeroplane
22
一回転飛行機 ikkaiten hikouki 1-flip aeroplane
23
二回転飛行機 nikaiten hikouki 2-flip aeroplane
24
スクランブル飛行機 sukuranburu hikouki Aeroplane loop
25
八の字旋回飛行機 hachi no ji senkai hikouki Figure 8 aeroplane
26
つるし一回転飛行機 tsurushi ikkaiten hikouki Hanging 1-flip aeroplane
27
手のひら飛行機 te no hira hikouki Palm aeroplane
28
ふりけん furiken Swing to spike
29
うらふりけん ura furiken Reverse swing to spike
30
風車ふりけん huusha furiken Gunslinger spike
31
指切りげんまん yubikiri genman Finger wrap spike
32
小指姫 koyubi hime Pinky poke
33
ろうそく返し rousoku kaeshi Candle flip
34
ろうそくうらふりけん rousoku urafuriken Reverse swing candle flip
35
ふりけんつむじ風 furiken tsumujikaze Whirlwind furiken
36
つるしふりけん tsurushi furiken Hanging swing to spike
37
村一周 mura isshuu Around the village
38
県一周 ken isshuu Around the prefecture
39
日本一周 nihon isshuu Around Japan
40
ヨーロッパ一周 yooroppa isshuu Around Europe
41
世界一周 sekai isshuu Around the world
42
宇宙一周 uchuu isshuu Around the cosmos
43
皿胴一周 saradou isshuu Around the crosspiece
44
灯台 toudai Lighthouse
45
さか落とし saka otoshi Falling down
46
灯立 touryuu or toutachi or touritsu Build the lighthouse
47
灯台とんぼ返り toudai tonbogaeri Lighthouse somersault
48
灯台返し toudai kaeshi Tap in
49
大皿さか落とし oozara sakaotoshi Hole in one
50
一回転灯台 ikkaiten toudai Swing lighthouse
51
二回転灯台 nikaiten toudai Swing flip lighthouse
52
つるし灯台 tsurushi toudai Hanging lighthouse
53
つるし一回転灯台 tsurushi ikkaiten toudai Hanging flip lighthouse
54
うずしお灯台 uzushio toudai Whirlpool lighthouse
55
けん先すべり kensaki suberi Slip spike aka slip-on-stick
56
うらけん先すべり urakensaki suberi Backhand slip stick
57
大皿すべり oozara suberi Big cup slip stick
58
おすべり osuberi Sisyphus
59
地球まわし chikyuu mawashi Earth turn
60
うら地球まわし urachikyuu mawashi Reverse earth turn
61
はねけん haneken Jumping stick
62
横はねけん yoko haneken Rotor blade
63
山びこ返し yama bikokaeshi Swing rotor blade
64
招き猫はねけん maneki neko haneken Beckoning cat
65
うぐいす uguisu Bird
66
うぐいすの谷渡り uguisu no taniwatari Bird fly over the valley
67
銀河系一周 gingakei isshuu Migration
68
こっくり kokkuri Nodding off
69
エベレスト eberesuto Everest
70
すべり止め極意 suberidome gokui Slip grip special
71
中皿極意 chuuzara gokui Clifftop
72
大皿極意 oozara gokui Wingwalker
73
太陽極意 taiyou gokui Backhand slip grip special
74
月面着陸 getsumen chakuriku Moon landing
75
たけうま takeuma Bamboo horse
76
宇宙遊泳 uchuu yuuei Suicide aeroplane
77
円月殺法 engetsu sappou Suicide furiken
78
稲妻落とし inazuma otoshi Double suicide aeroplane
79
胡蝶の舞い kochou no mai Repeat suicide furiken
80
はやぶさ返し hayabusa kaeshi Backcross suicide aeroplane
81
ジャピング宇宙遊泳 janpingu uchuu yuuei Suicide aeroplane loop
82
はやて落とし hayate otoshi Swing switch
83
あやとり ayatori Cat’s cradle
84
あやとり宇宙ロケット ayatori uchuu roketto Cat’s cradle rocket
85
おみこし omikoshi Body catch
86
金魚すくい kingyo sukui Scoop up
87
竹とんぼ take tonbo Flying top
88
こま koma Spinning top
89
きりもみ kirimomi The drill
90
玉つきさし tama tsukisashi Stabbing heaven
91
すくいけん sukuiken Scoop spike
92
一回転すくいけん ikkaiten sukuiken Flip Scoop spike
93
ペンシルまわし penshiru mawashi Turntable
94
ガンマン ganman Gunslinger
95
ヘリコプター Herikoputaa Helicopter
96
手拍子つるし持ち tebyoushi tsurushi mochi Hanging clap
97
持ちかえわざ mochikaewaza Apple turnover/Jam turnover
98
ひっつき虫 hittsuki mushi Thumb trap
99
秘竜のぼりけん hiryuu noboriken Curl spike
100
しまいけん shimai ken Wrap up

It is worth noting that kendama tricks are divided into fifteen (15) different types. They are:

1. Cup tricks
2. Turtle tricks
3. Pull Up Spike tricks
4. Airplane tricks
5. Swinging Spike tricks
6. Around tricks
7. Lighthouse tricks
8. Slide/Slip tricks
9. Spin tricks
10. Warbler tricks
11. Mastery tricks
12. Freeze (Still) tricks
13. Air tricks
14. Cat’s Cradle tricks
15. Special tricks