japanese juggling
LABE...@minnie.hollins.edu
I know it's called "otedama", that it involves movements similar to playing
jacks as well as what we call showers, and songs that only Japanese grandmothersremember. Does anyone have any info on this?
I have two sets of these otedama beanbags. One contains 5 pretty small ones
and some funky little plastic things like buttons without holes. Looks
commercial. The other contains 3 larger ones, but they're only about half
full and the filling feels like large, er, beans! My professor claims he
got 'em at a temple fair.
Anybody know about this?
pwpa...@news.delphi.com
>Anybody know about this?
We had some discussions way back when JUGGLING-L was first formed
three years ago and I was doing double duty in Japanese/Chinese.
Otedema is a ladies/girls-only thing. I learned not to ask the
menfolk to juggle and to let the ladies juggle first -- if
you are better than they are, they will not follow you. At
least those who are "traditional" won't.
An informal poll of those transplanted Japanese to this area
revealed they call the general form of juggling "tejina" which
is the hand symbol followed by a pyramid of three boxes in kanji.
Hand-Objects.
I remember some disagreement on this, but those I asked seemed
pretty consistent (I asked them what they called it rather than
asking them a leading question like "is tejina an acceptable term
for this activity?" to get a better response).
Masaki Nishikawa
I posted this article 10days ago,
but I was reported by a few people
that the artcle didn't have been delivered to their site.
(I asked them to check it because I had a doubt about reliability of
my local netnews system.)
If you have read the following article, please ignore it.
Sorry for bandwidth consumption.
Masaki Nishikawa, Sony, Japan
------------------------- cut --------------------------------
Hi, here is a Japanese-juggler in Japan.
You summoned me by the magic word "Japan". :-)
(I mean, I can't stop myself to respond to any article that mentions Japan).
LABE...@MINNIE.HOLLINS.EDU writes:
>I know it's called "otedama", that it involves movements
>similar to playing jacks as well as what we call showers,
>and songs that only Japanese grandmothers remember.
>Does anyone have any info on this?
In Japan, "otedama" juggling has been recognized as a game for girls.
(Otedama means both the beanbags and the play with the beanbags).
I'm afraid that few kids play it in these days.
(Yet another piece of threatened traditional culture...)
Otedama has some differences from the western-style ball juggling.
(1) It is played in Japanese traditional "sitting on shins" style,
so there are some "drop and pick up" routines.
I think that is the reason why they are so loose.
(2) You are allowed by rule to hold some bags together in your palm.
(i.e. you can do 51 pattern with 4 balls, without multiplex throws).
(3) There isn't any "numbers player" (not like in Tonga).
(4) The prime purpose for the game is to sing songs
with predefined juggling routine and finish it gracefully.
Unfortunately, I don't know any words of the songs.
Most of Japanese traditional games are played
with their particular songs.
(5) Cascade patterns are foreign to Japanese.
(So I started juggling from 3 ball shower, not from cascade).
(6) There is no professional traditional-Japanese-style ball jugglers.
All of Japanese jugglers I've ever seen are in the western-style.
LABE...@MINNIE.HOLLINS.EDU writes:
>I have two sets of these otedama beanbags. One contains 5 pretty small ones
>and some funky little plastic things like buttons without holes. Looks
>commercial.
>The other contains 3 larger ones, but they're only about half
>full and the filling feels like large, er, beans! My professor claims he
>got 'em at a temple fair.
I guess your professor got a "Japanese traditional toys set"
in a souvenir shop.
The little things like holeless buttons are "ohajiki(O-her-G-key)".
(Aren't they made from glass?)
They are another traditional toy and have nothing to do with juggling. :-)
You play with them on floor like miniature-billiards
by hitting a piece with back of your finger tip
and shooting it to another piece.
Ah... sorry, I can't explain further detail.
Japanese traditional beanbags were filled with russet beans in old days.
PWPA...@DELPHI.COM writes:
>An informal poll of those transplanted Japanese to this area
>revealed they call the general form of juggling "tejina" which
>is the hand symbol followed by a pyramid of three boxes in kanji.
>Hand-Objects.
>I remember some disagreement on this, but those I asked seemed
>pretty consistent (I asked them what they called it rather than
>asking them a leading question like "is tejina an acceptable term
>for this activity?" to get a better response).
Ah... as a native Japanese speaker, I disagree on it.
"Tejina" means magic tricks and it implies that tricks are played with
gimmicks and/or mind-misdirection.
(But, as you know, some people can't distinguish juggling from magic. :-))
I think more appropriate word for juggling is "kyokugei".
"Kyokugei" means all kinds of weird things like juggling, unicycling,
stunts and acrobats.
I found some other juggling-related words from dictionaries.
shinadama "objects and balls"
shinadama-tsukai "objects and balls manipulator" = juggler
tamatori "ball catching"
roukyuu "ball manipulation"
But, these words are "dead words" now.
I bet that modern Japanese people don't know the words.
While we are on Japanese juggling topics,
I want to mention a Japanese traditional trick called
"nukekago" (bottomless basket) which is similar to ball juggling,
performed by professionals.
"Nukekago" is the name of a special equipment like the following picture:
(Pronounce "nukekago" as "gnu-K-cargo", not as "nuke-cargo" :-)
This word seems to be a "technical term", so people don't know the name.)
-
| ( )<------- cup
| |
| | ( )<------- cup
| |<-stem *
| | * *<-------- loop
| | * *
| | * ( )<------- cup
| ********************
| * * + *
| * * + *<-------- leveled cylindrical basket
| * * + * without bottom face
| ********************
*
1.2m app. *
*
| *
| *
| *<------ handle
| *
| *
| *
| *
| * Made from wood and bamboo,
| * decorated brilliantly
-
I've seen the trick only once on TV,
it was performed by "Somenosuke & Sometaro" brothers (famous in Japan).
(Pronounce their name like "saw-may-know-sue-K & saw-may-tarot")
Somenosuke holds "nukekago" on its handle and manipulates it,
then 3 balls travel from cup to cup, go through the loop and the basket
perfectly under his will.
(Actually, the balls are thrown into the air and
"nukekago" moves around them.)
It is a really fascinating act!
(You may ask "What does Sometaro do?"
He only cheers Somenosuke up and jests. It's his important role! :-))
Pant, pant, pant, I spent too much time for this article.
I should stop now and take another time
to write about Japanese juggling topics.
Bye.
Masaki NISHIKAWA, Sony, Japan