Kendama has existed for centuries, but the modern era of kendama has been shaped by a series of breakthrough moments that transformed the toy into a rapidly evolving global sport. Over the past two decades, innovations in tricks, shapes, media, and community growth have pushed kendama far beyond its traditional roots.
Today’s kendama scene features professional players, global competitions, viral social media clips, and an ever-growing international community. But none of that happened overnight. It was built through a collection of defining moments that changed how people play, watch, and think about kendama.
As social media platforms grew, kendama tricks began reaching global audiences.
Sol Kendamas pro Alex Mitchell went on a 2 year YouTube Shorts grind, posting nearly every day gaining over 140 million total channel views with his biggest video reaching 40 million views! This accomplishment also lead Sol Kendamas to reach 100,000 subscribers.
One of the most mind-blowing moments came when Japanese player Takuya landed a 100-tap trick, a feat that pushed the limits of what players believed possible. The clip quickly spread online and became one of the most talked-about tricks in kendama history. As of March 16th, the impact of Takuya’s 100 tap reached an entirely new level when the official Instagram account reposted the clip to their global feed. This moment marks one of the largest media breakthroughs in kendama history, exposing the culture of kendama to an audience far beyond the existing community. For a niche skill toy rooted in tradition, being recognized on a platform of that scale signals a shift in visibility and relevance. It’s not just a win for Takuya, but a landmark moment for kendama as a whole, proving that the highest level of play can resonate on a global stage and capture mainstream attention.
Today, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts regularly push kendama clips to millions of viewers through the players posting themselves, but coming from the official Instagram account, this was one that felt much more powerful.
Modern kendama trick progression has exploded as players further experiment and explore deeper into trick categories, pushing the trick meta forward. High-level taps are becoming more common as well as stunt plane fasthand enders, which make the trick significantly more impressive and difficult. Meanwhile, string-based innovations such as the late goon circle introduced a completely new style of technical play that required mastery of timing, tension, and coordination.
These tricks didn’t just add difficulty, they expanded the creative possibilities of kendama itself.
In the mid-2010s, kendama manufacturers began experimenting with larger and more balanced shapes designed for modern trick progression.
Several models became especially influential:
Back in 2013, Mugen Musou produced scaled-up kendamas with exceptional paint quality that helped players land advanced tricks more consistently.
Shorlty after, Sol Kendamas introduced the Sol Flow shape which was also scaled up from the traditional size at the time.
After that, Krom Kendama released the Slay Dawg, combining larger cups with highly grippy paint that players loved.
These innovations laid the groundwork for modern kendama design. Later shapes such as the Sol 1UP, the Lotus Element, and newer competition-focused shapes continued refining balance, lunar stability, and flip control.
Today’s kendamas are engineered specifically to support high-level trick progression.
Just as important as kendama shape innovation was the rise of kendama related video content on social media.
One of the most influential trick edits ever released was Fringe Case by Ben Herald. The video introduced a completely new style of play that many players had never seen before.
Another pivotal moment came with the Kendama USA Japan Tour 2012 video from KUSA, which showed players traveling internationally to connect with Japanese kendama culture. The video inspired countless players to travel, attend events, and build stronger global relationships.
Meanwhile, Colin Sander’s “Edit 7” helped define the modern kendama video format. The word edit, commonly used across action sports, became the standard name for kendama trick compilation videos on YouTube.
The next defining moment for kendama will likely come from growth rather than a single trick.
More players, more events, and stronger global infrastructure will ultimately determine how far the sport can go. As the community continues expanding, kendama may eventually reach even larger global stages including organized international leagues and possibly the Olympic Games.
For now, the moments that shaped kendama serve as a reminder of how far the community has already come and how much further it can go.
