CCS tama•Keyaki Ozora Ken
The CCS•keyaki is a very sentimental setup to me. I used it to compete in MKO which was my first real event. Not to mention the colors go extremely well together.
Natty Classic
I’ve been jamming my natty classic non stop and has grown to become one of my go to setups. I love seeing the work and break in put into a Kendama, especially natty’s.
Green Ozora
A green Ozora was my first Kendama and is still one of favorite Kendama to play till this day. I love the classic feel of an Ozora and it always brings back memories of my first tricks.
Half Split Kaizens
Half Split Kaizens are one of my favorite Kendamas from Kusa. They’re extremely jam-able and colors always come correct.
Zebrano tama•Tk-16 Ken
The zebrano•tk-16 is probably one of the best natty setups I’ve played to date. It breaks in perfect for stalls, durable, and looks super clean in my opinion. A solid jammer forsure.
We’ve partnered up with Ozora to bring you the all new Ozora Street. New to Ozora’s staple arsenal of products, the 2015 Street Kendama features a stained ken and a matte semi glossed black tama.
Laced using an Ozora Red kendama string, this black on black combination is sure to be a classic and favorite among any collector.
Summer just ended, but there’s still 1 more event to celebrate. We’re extremely thankful for all the support from our fans and customers, and we want to give back something extra special this year.
Here at Kendama USA, we’re fortunate to have access to lots of unique prototypes, limited edition products, and rare Kendamas that may never be made again. For this End of Summer Giveaway, we’re opening up our vault and hand selecting a treasure-trove of these rare gems in our biggest giveaway ever!
There will be a total of 13 winners, We will be giving away three main prize packages and 10 other amazing prizes all described below.
Snow Gold Musou
Limited Musou Holster
Premium Orange Ozora
Sunrise Purple Strata
GRIP Walnut Sunrise
Honor Tribute
Sparkling Green Musou
Musou Holster
80′s Red Sakura
Sunrise Blue Strata
Metallic Green Ozora
Honor Tribute
Breeze Orange Musou
Keyaki Shin Fuji
Yellow Ozora
Sky Blue Ozora
Honor Tribute
10 will win one of the following prizes:
Terra Lemongrass Jumbo Pill
Ozora Pink Galaxy
Tribute Merlot Silk
Kendama USA Padauk Proto
KROM Viking Zebra
Terra Purple Pill
KROM Rubberwood
Premium Gold Ozora
Tribute Black w/ Blue Triple Stripe
Grain Theory Mystery Kendama
Enter your email address on the left and you’ll be entered for your chance to win!
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Yuji Umetsu at the Kendama USA offices in Atlanta GA. Yuji is the current president of Yamagata Kobou, the maker of the famous Ozora Kendama. We have been proud to offer Ozora products for the better half of a decade, and were very happy to finally have the chance to meet face to face after years of emails. It was great learning more about the history of Yamagata Kobou, and hearing about future plans and products. For several decades, Yamagata Kobou has built it’s reputation on quality craftsmanship, and a sincere passion for Kendama. It’s an honor to have such a great partner, and look forward to the chance to meet again. While Yuji was here, several questions came in from the Kendama community, and we complied this Q&A below. Big thanks to Yuji Umetsu and Fumiaki Iwata for taking the time to visit and help give us more insight to their perspectives on Kendama.
How long have you been in the Kendama Business?
Personally, Since 4 years old, play 24 years.
Furthermore I was watching my grandfather who is the founder of Yamagata Koubou, was making kendama everyday sitting next to him.
As a president 5 years, Company 41 years.
What is the largest, or heaviest Kendama you have made?
Wood Keyaki, Length 88cm, weight 20 kg.
Compared with normal kendama, 5 times long, 125 times heavy.
What does Kendama mean to you?
It means sincerity, honesty, truth, which mean my whole life itself.
Why did you discontinue Sky Blue, Yellow, and Orange?
We change the colors periodically. Change means sometimes add and decrease.
When was Ozora founded?
2008.
What was your personal favorite Ozora color?
Red.
What is your most prized kendama, or your favorite kendama?
It is Yosaburo kendama which was made by Yosaburo Suzuki, our funder, at the year of 1973.
What is your opinion about the American kendama scene? How has it changed or influenced kendama in Japan?
About the American kendama scene, I thought it is very cool and nice after I watched American kendama movie.
Also, Japanese kendama player or young people might have felt same way.
Be sure to check out all of Ozora’s products in our shop HERE
Hang out with Jake and KAMEYO in the Kengarden for a chill session on the Sakura edition Ozora. The Sakura is part of the Ozora Specialty series. All of these kendamas carry new designs and styles while keeping the top quality Ozora is known for.
Jake Wiens is well known for his amazing video work paired with some of the most innovative tricks in the game and this edit does not fall short! Sit back, relax, and enjoy another amazing edit from The Kengarden!
Ozora released 2 new Galaxy colors this year: the Galaxy Pink Kendama and the Galaxy Green Kendama. We’re happy to have them both available in our store now! See them for yourself HERE.
It’s time for another awesome Kendama USA contest! In the Doubles competition you will have to choose wisely, as you’ll be working with a friend. You will both play simultaneously, and as always, we encourage you to get as creative as possible. You will be judged on synchronization, creativity, difficulty of tricks, location choice and the overall quality of the edit. Remember the whole point of the competition is to get together with your buds and have FUN! Lets get stoked on Kendama again before summer is over.
Contest Rules:
• You must choose one teammate in your edit. You cannot submit another edit with a different Teammate.
• Creativity and new tricks is a major plus.
• The more synchronized you and your teammate are on each trick, the better.
• The tricks must actually be filmed simultaneously. No editing cheats!
• Your edit MUST be 1:30 or less. If you go over the time limit, it is automatically disqualified, and we will be sad with you.
• Deadline is Sunday, August 5th, at 11:59 pm PDT (pacific daylight time, westside!!). Any edit submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, and great sadness will be felt.
How to enter:
• Upload your edit to YouTube or Vimeo. You must include “Kendama USA Doubles Contest” in the title.
• Send an email to [email protected] with the edit URL link, names of both players, contact info, and a mailing address for prizes.
Prizes:
• 1st place winner
- 2 new Sakura style Kendamas, new from Ozora
- 2 Tribute Kendamas of choice (non custom)
- 2 T-shirts of choice
- 2 New Color String Packs
- 2 Sticker packs and poster packs
•2nd place winner
- 1 new Sakura style Kendama, new from Ozora
- 1 Tribute Kendama of choice (non custom)
- 2 Tribute T-shirts
- 2 Kendama Wooden Stencils
- 2 New Color String Packs
- 2 Sticker packs and 2 poster packs
•3rd place winner
- 2 Tribute Kendamas of choice (non custom)
- 1 KendamaUSA T-shirt
- 1 Sticker Pack
- 1 New Color String Packs
There are some other special prizes being given away for runner up edits, but you have to enter to find out!!!
Grab a friend and start filming. Have fun!!!
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UPDATE. WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!!! See the winners HERE
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In November 2011, Kendama USA hosted the first ever Dama Fest. Kendama enthusiasts from all over the country, and even Europe came to Atlanta GA for this amazing event. Huge thanks to everybody who showed up and helped support it. This includes the Kengarden, Ozora, Sweets, Deal with It, SourMash, Saga, and of course Kendama USA and Tribute Kendamas. Congratulations to all the winners, and our first champion Sebastian Orrego. Hope to see you there next year.
The year of the Dragon is approaching, and Ozora has it’s new Kendama ready. Available with both a metallic black, and metallic gold tama. Each Dragon Kendama includes an extra string.
Check them out now in the shop
The Emperor is in a class of its own. Made by Ozora, this GIANT Kendama dwarfs all others. It’s an amazing Kendama for performances and those brave enough (and strong enough) to take on this challenge. The Emperor stands approximately 34.5 cm tall (about 13.5 inches) and weighs nearly 2 pounds. To give some scale, see the image here. The Kendama on the left is the standard red Ozora. The Kendama on the right is the Taiyo Jumbo Ozora.
