What Is A Five Hole Kendama?

A Five hole kendama or Quintama is a traditional kendama with Five (5) Holes in the Tama Or Ball.

Five Hole Kendama’s have a handle, spike, sarado, base cup, string, and tama. They are built just like a traditional kendama However it has 5 holes in the tama contrary to the traditional kendama with only 1 hole.

Traditional Kendama 5 Hole Kendama

Is Five Hole Kendama Difficult to play?

Well the answer to that question depends on what skill level of kendama player you are.

If you are a new kendama player you may find it easier to spike the tama with luck because the tama has more holes which leads to an increased chance of landing a spike.

Intermediate kendama players will find it difficult to spike tricks because there will be too many holes to look for and land the spike. Intermediate plays are still learning the concept of hole control, so trying to keep track of one hole in a ball with 4 other holes will be much harder than trying to keep track of a ball with only one hole in it.

The increased number of holes in the tama also decreases the weight so it will require significantly less force to play. To master the Quintama a traditional player will have to adapt their play style to be more lightweight, agile, and attentive.

True masters of kendama will find the Five hole kendama a fun challenge to master. Masters of kendama will have already mastered hole control and have developed improved reflexes focus and, concentration from years of kendama practice.

A master of the kendama will find the Five hole kendama a challenge because they will have to re-learn hole control with five holes instead of one. This is incredibly challenging because it’s easy to get confused when keeping track of one specific spot on a spinning symmetrical ball. It will require intense focus to keep track of the specific hole you want to spike. Landing or spiking a trick in any of the other 4 holes not specified at the start of the trick will result in a failed trick.