It was part of a report on children’s education in Japan.
During the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912), the Japanese Ministry of Education included kendama in a report on children’s education published in 1876. The game increased in popularity from that time onwards. The forerunner of kendama first went on sale during the Taisho era (1912 to 1926). Called Nichigetsu (“sun and moon”) Ball, because the ball looked like the sun, while the shallow cups looked like crescents. The game became a big hit, and during the succeeding Showa Era (1926 to 1989), other different types or variations of kendama went on the market.
