The sound of Kendama resounds, and a circle of smiles connects! The 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival 2025 is enjoyed by people of all ages.

Friday, June 27, 2025

The 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival

Event Overview

The 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival, sponsored by the Hokuryu Kendama Club (Representative: Naoki Kishi), was held at the Hokuryu Town Community Center Large Hall from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24th.

The temperature on this day reached a record high of 30°C, and even at 6pm it was still over 25°C. The breeze blowing through the windows of the community center's large hall seemed to cool down our hot bodies.

Fifteen members of the Hokuryu Kendama Club participated enthusiastically 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 Medium Plate Secret Endurance Game," and "Tube Ken Catch Ball Relay."

Representative Kishi's explanation of the game

Representative Kishi gave a detailed explanation about the game.

Akamatsu JOHN Masateru (John)

"It's hot! It's very hot, so please take good care of yourself by taking breaks and drinking plenty of water.

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 the total points.
Once the kendama balls on the five tables are upright and checked to make sure they do not fall over, the competitor returns to the starting point and touches the next player, who then continues the competition with the kendama balls on the next table.

The player sticks the ball into one of the kendama balls placed on the five tables, stands it up, and once they have confirmed that it does not fall over, they return to the starting point and touch the next player, who then continues the competition with the kendama placed on the next table.

John's tips

"It's important to support it with your little finger and keep it stable!" emphasizes John!

▶︎ Hand-held Medium Plate Secret Endurance Game

With the ball on the middle plate, move forward and backward, 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
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  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 that everyone will be inspired by experiencing the real thing."

  Greetings from Masateru Akamatsu (John)

  

  "Thank you all 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.

  This year on August 2nd, there will be an event on the sunflower field stage. I hope everyone will have fun playing.

  This time, four players who are participating in world championships will be coming. It is amazing that people of the same caliber as baseball player Ohtani are coming to Hokuryu.

  You'll be able to see the kendama, learn some tricky facts about kendama, and get autographs. Kissy has put a lot of thought into it, so please look forward to it.

  Since it would be a waste to hold it only for one day, 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 many days left, so everyone, improve your skills little by little, meet amazing people, and make fun memories.

  Please be careful during the summer holidays and do your best to avoid heatstroke! Thank you very much!" John concluded.

  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 fun to the fullest...

  

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  Other photos

  Photos (110 photos) from the Hokuryu Kendama Club and the 8th Hokuryu Kendama Festival 2025 are here >>

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  ◇ Photography, editing, and website management: Noboru Terauchi Writer: Ikuko Terauchi