Spinning top

独楽 koma

Spinning top

A New Year toy; a top that spins steadily wishes that life and business will "turn" smoothly and stand on their own.

Reached Japan from China about 1,300 years ago (Nara period); iron-cored Hakata koma from the late 17th century

Spinning tops came from China around 1,300 years ago; the first were buzzing bamboo tops. Wooden tops are recorded in Hakata (Fukuoka) by the late 14th century, and in the late 17th century iron cores were added, which allowed the acrobatic top-spinning shows that spread to Kyoto and Osaka. The kanji 独楽, 'enjoying alone', is chosen for meaning, not sound.

Top spinning is a traditional New Year game with kite flying, hanetsuki and karuta.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.