Naru Nishimoto is a very young Japanese player from Fukutsu who started out on a plastic toy kendama and moved on to wooden ones in 2022. He stands out for his taps, his creativity and his consistency. This is his first signature kendama with Krom, the Danish brand founded by Thorkild May.

• BrandKrom Kendama
• ModelNaru “Nami” Mod
• ShapeKanade
• WoodMaple ken, beech tama
• Tama61.5 mm, I+D paint
• IncludesMini bearing, spare string, a tool for changing it and stickers

Design

A kendama has three parts: the ken (the handle with the spike), the sarado (the crosspiece with the side cups) and the tama (the ball). The model is inspired by nami, Japanese for “wave”, as an image of continuous movement. The tama has a wave pattern with subtle reference points for following its spin without overloading the eye. Inside the big cup there is an “8”, a nod to the infinity symbol and to the idea that in kendama you can always keep progressing.

Shape and materials

The Kanade is a shape Krom developed with player Soma Fujita, fine-tuned for balance, control and modern play while keeping a natural feel in the hand. The ken is made of maple, a dense, stable wood, and the tama of beech, which is harder and more resistant to knocks. The 61.5 mm tama is finished with I+D, Krom’s paint designed to give grip in stalls, the tricks in which the ball rests still on the ken. The string is attached with a mini bearing, which stops it from twisting, and the brand guarantees a maximum weight difference of 7 g between ken and tama.