Ube Artist Series #2 just released!
Archive for July, 2011
Kendamas Built for a Museum!
The Artist Series
is a new project here at Kendama USA. Our goal is to collaborate with talented artists to create Kendamas that are hand painted at a high quality level that could never be duplicated in mass production. We love working with artists and this series was a natural step that we are absolutely thrilled about. These Kendamas are truly one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The hardest part is deciding if you want to put it in a display case, or actually risk playing with it!
We are honored to have Ube Urban collaborate with us on our first ever Artist Series. Ube is a highly skilled painter, and owner of Ube’s Ice Cream Shop in San Francisco, CA. He is highly sought after for custom paint jobs, and has made quite a name for himself in the Kendama community. All the custom Kendamas in this series are hand painted by Ube himself. There are no duplicates made of the Artist Series designs, so “limited edition” would be an understatement. There is 1 of each. As soon as it’s gone, it’s gone, and the next custom design will be available in it’s place. The intricate detail Ube puts into his work is difficult to capture in photographs or video, and needs to be seen in real life to truly appreciate all the small features.
The first release is a beautiful wooden Ozora titled “Modern Life”. Every Kendama in Ube’s Artist series includes a signed photograph, extra string, as well as the original hand-sketches made specifically for each individual piece.
Much respect to Ube for his amazing craftsmanship. Check him out at Ubes Ice Cream Shop
The first Ube Custom will go up for sale at 11:59 pm EST on Friday July 29, 2011.
Great things happening in Edmonton
We love this edit!!! Props to all the Edmonton guys.
The Kendama USA Premiere Line is here!
Introducing the Premiere Line from Kendama USA
For a very long time we dreamed about producing our own Kendama, and after years of hard work that dream has become a reality.
Years of playing Kendama, plus mountains of feedback from our Pro Team and customers has taught us what works and what doesn’t. Our vision was to make this amazing skill toy even better. The premiere line is crafted from beechwood, and is the first Kendama to use metal reinforcement in the handle, allowing the cups to be permanently secure. No more hassle pushing these pieces back together constantly or worrying about glue. This new design has also simplified the entire re-stringing process.
We made our paint quality a top priority, and finally found a custom painting technique that could pass our rigorous testing standards. Our Kendamas have multiple layers of high quality paint that are more resistant to chipping, improving the cosmetic life span of your Kendama. The sticky paint surface gives great grip on technical balance tricks like lunars and lighthouses. All our paints have been inspected by certified laboratories to meet or exceed all US toy regulations.
The Premiere Line consists of single colors, stripes, triple stripes, and the very first Pro Model series, complete with engraved signatures.
We have worked closely with an incredible team of designers to create a package that compliments the elegance of the Kendama. In addition to the new Kendama, each package includes an instruction guide written in English, a replacement string and bead, and stickers.
The Japanese concept of Kaizen simply means “continuous improvement”. We believe that even something as amazing as Kendama can be even better. We hope you like the Premiere Line as much as we do.
much respect,
-KendamaUSA
we want to give credit where credit is due. this project would not have been possible without the help of countless people. we would especially like to thank the following:
- the Kendama USA Pro Team for their dedication, patience, and input
- the Kendama USA staff for the immense daily support and hard work
- the industrial and graphic design team, specifically Kyle Sola, Jeromy Morris, Apollo Baldoz, and Christine Santanastasso
- and finally you. the kendama players who keep innovating this amazing skill toy
