Since day one, Dave has been extremely generous and selfless in his approach to enrich and spread Kendama culture. His passion for Kendama is undeniable, and his signature style is unmistakable. Dave has been a key part of Kendama USA for several years now, helping both publicly and behind the scenes. He continues to challenge his own limits and is committed to pushing others toward their dreams. We’ve been truly blessed to have Dave as part of our family, and we’re excited for this next chapter to unfold. Please join us in welcoming Dave Mateo to the Kendama USA Pro Team.

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 industrial designer/painter, and owner of Ube\’s Icecream 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 3rd release is a classy wooden Ozora titled \”Sea Foam Breeze\”. This 2 tone tama has a smooth, subtle fade from light blue to sea foam green. You can almost feel the pacific breeze wafting in from San Francisco bay into Ube\’s custom shop. His precision painting style will make a great addition to your Kendama collection.

We must stress that these are Kendamas are pieces of art, and are not intended to be children\’s toys. The Artist Series Kendamas use several different materials and paints that are not considered \”toy-safe\” by US toy standards. Please enjoy your artwork responsibly.

Artist Series purchases are non-refundable, and shares of the profits go directly to the artist. Every purchase includes the Artist Series Kendama, an extra string, framed original sketches, and a framed autographed photo.

We have been busy designing our new Sticker Pack for this holiday season.  We always give out free stickers with all our orders, and it\’s time for some fresh new sticker styles.

That’s where YOU come in!  This is your chance to have your own custom design included in our new sticker pack.  Imagine your Kendama artwork being sent to Kendama players all over the world!!  If you have an idea for a great Kendama sticker, get creative and send your favorite designs to contest@kendamausa.com before Monday, September 12th, 2011.

Our Pro Team will be choosing their favorite submissions, and the top pick(s) will have their design(s) included in this years sticker pack.  All winners will be receiving great prize packages from Kendama USA, and will be given full credit and recognition on our website.  These prize packages will include LOTS of new stickers, a new Kendama, and some other goodies that you’ll have to win to find out!!!

Have fun, and lets see what you got!

we\’ll happily accept submissions that are photoshoped, illustrator’d, painted, sketched, scanned, crayoned, stamped, engraved, screened, traced, or sculpted.

if you want to use our logo in your design, you can download it HERE

if you’re working in vector and need it in .AI format, just email us!

This is such an incredible edit in so many ways. Great production value, creative transitions, amazing skills, epic locations, girls stomping tricks, underwater dama, KenGarden, timelapses … what else could you want in an edit?

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.

We are proud to announce the first ever Pro-Model Kendamas

Kendama USA Pro Team filming in Pittsburgh