It is perhaps one of the most famous anecdotes in the history of science. In 1666, a young Isaac Newton is sitting in his garden when an apple falls on his head. In a stroke of brilliant insight, he comes up with a theory of understanding gravitational force. Applying that anecdote to play is artist Yasuhiro Suzuki, who came up with the idea of replacing the ball of a kendama with an apple.
A kendama is a traditional Japanese toy that dates back to the 1700s. Inherently relying on gravity, the user pulls the ball upward and tries to land it on 1 of the 3 holes or 1 spike, each varying in difficulty. Ken means sword, and refers to the main body. Dama (or tama) means ball.
The Apple Kendama is available in the Spoon & Tamago Shop, along with a set of the tops, also designed by Suzuki, that invert themselves when spun at high velocity.
January 25, 2018 at 1:51 pm
I love this, is there any chance of getting one In Europe? The nicest Tama I have seen in a long time =)
January 25, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Nathan – we’re not aware of any shops in Europe carrying them, but we do ship all over the world 🙂 https://shop.spoon-tamago.com/collections/new/products/apple-kendama