Kiseki is the Tensei line, Kendama Europe’s top-end range, which the brand presents as a “progression series” of five designs with Japanese names. Akari means “light”, a warm light that the brand places at the end of the cycle, when everything falls into place. This version comes with the GG finish.

• BrandKendama Europe
• ModelTensei Kiseki Akari
• WoodMaple (ken) and ash (tama)
• FinishGG (Ghost Grip), matte grip coating
• Tama62 mm, 23.7 mm bevel
• StringEight fingers

The Tensei shape

A kendama has three parts: the ken (the handle ending in a spike), the sarado (the crosspiece with the two side cups) and the tama (the ball with a hole). Tensei (“rebirth”, according to the brand) builds on the Record series and has been refined with 3D modelling and a study of how the weight of each part is distributed. The inside of the sarado is cut away to control throws, the contact points are matched to the tama, and the hole in the base cup balances the ken in lunar (the ken balanced on top of the tama).

Materials and finish

Kiseki combines two woods: maple for the ken and ash for the tama. The GG finish (Ghost Grip, which the brand also calls Anti-Skid 2.0) is an ultra-thin, very matte coating that gives grip without shine on catches and stalls (tricks in which the tama or the ken stays still in balance). The tama measures 62 mm and its bevel (the edge of the hole) is “deformable”: it gives a little when the spike strikes it and settles sooner, so the spike (landing the ball on the point) feels more secure. The string is long, eight fingers (the number that fit between the base cup and the bead). Recommended age: 7 and up.