Friday, June 27, 2025
The 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival
Event Summary
The 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival, sponsored by the Hokuryu Kendama Club (Representative: Kishi Naoki), was held at the Hokuryu Town Community Center Large Hall from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24th.
The maximum temperature on this day was recorded at 30°C, and even at 6pm it was still over 25°C. The breeze blowing through the windows of the large hall of the community center seemed to cool down our hot bodies.
Fifteen members of the Hokuryu Kendama Club enthusiastically participated and had a great time playing kendama.
The competition was divided into three teams (five people per team) and competed against each other.
The team names are "Giants," "Daiei," and "Kintetsu"!
Competition Contents
The competition consists of three events: "Takoyaki One-piece Time Attack," "Hand-held Middle Plate Secret Endurance Game," and "Tube Ken Catch Ball Relay."
Explanation of the game by Representative Kishi
Representative Kishi gave a detailed explanation about the game.
Mr. Masateru Akamatsu JOHN (John)
"It's hot! It's very hot, so please take breaks, drink plenty of water, and take good care of your health.
This is the 8th Kendama Festival, and Kissy has prepared a variety of games and prizes, so do your best to win.
Thank you for your time today," John said.
3 sports
▶︎ Takoyaki Showdown
Each team will play twice and the winner will be determined by total points.
After standing the kendama balls on the five tables and making sure they do not fall over, the competitor returns to the starting point and touches the next competitor, who then continues the match with the kendama on the next table.
The player sticks the ball into the kendama balls placed on the five tables, stands it up, and once they've checked that it doesn't fall over, they return to the starting point and touch the next player, who then continues playing with the kendama balls placed on the next table.
John's tips explained
"It's important to support it with your little finger and keep it stable!" John emphasizes!
▶︎ Hand-held medium plate secret endurance game
With the ball on the middle plate, move it back and forth, left and right, turn around, and touch the floor to prevent the ball from falling.
▶︎ Tsutsuken catch ball relay
Using a tsutsuken, five players take turns passing the ball around in a relay.
Results and greetings
- 1st place: Daiei425 Points
- 2nd place: Kintetsu355 Points
- 3rd place: Giants315 Points
<>Greetings from Representative Kishi
Greetings from Representative Kishi "The next event will be at the Sunflower Festival, so everyone please enjoy practicing until then. Some amazing players will be coming to this year's Sunflower Festival. I hope you will be able to experience the real thing and be inspired."
Greetings from Mr. Masateru (John) Akamatsu JOHN
Greetings from John "Thank you everyone for your hard work. I was surprised that you were able to perform more techniques than I expected. I think you all have great abilities.
On August 2nd of this year, there will be an event on the sunflower field stage. I hope everyone will have fun playing there.
This time, four players who are participating in the world championships will be coming. It is amazing that people of the same caliber as baseball player Ohtani are coming to Hokuryu Town.
I think you'll be able to see the kendama, learn some tricky things about kendama, and get an autograph. Kissy has put a lot of thought into it, so please look forward to it.
It would be a waste to hold the event only for one day, so we will hold an event in Asahikawa on the following day, the 3rd, where we will hold a skills competition.
The 2nd and 3rd are the days when you can meet the real thing. There are still a few days left, so everyone, level up little by little, meet some amazing people, and make some fun memories.
Please be careful during the summer holidays to avoid heatstroke and other problems! Thank you very much!" John concluded.
group photo
Everyone smiles for a group photo.
Everyone smiles for a group photo We put our boundless love, gratitude and prayers into the Hokuryu Kendama Festival, where everyone can share the fun and have as much fun as they can.
Let's all have fun to the fullest at the Hokuryu Kendama Festival, with gratitude! Youtube Video
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