
Kendama Trick NamesThese 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 Name |
English Name |
| 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