COTTAGE HILLS - In the world of Kendama, a traditional Japanese game with a sword, ball and cup, Cottage Hills’ Shirley King is making a worldwide name as the Kendama Grandma or “Kengrandma.”
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Kendama was invented in the 17th Century by Samurais to advance eye coordination. A Kendama is a wooden toy, in which a cross-shape "Ken (handle) and "Tama (ball)" with a hole are connected with a string. The user plays with it by catching the ball with the handle tip.
Shirley, 73, has become obsessed with playing the game and mastered some serious skills. Christian Stauder and finance, Madison Vollmer, have joined the grandma in her game and it is now a big part of their lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Stauder and Vollmer even cut a music video about the Kengrandma.
King’s Instagram is a hit with her videos that have been posted. Vollmer helps Shirley manage the Instagram account and posting of her videos.
“We made the music video and put it online and I had shirts made through a website and had “Kengrandma” on the front,” Stauder said. “Grandma even created her own move and it is called the Millennium Falcon. She pulls the Kendama up to the ball and it lays perfectly flat and looks like a Millennium Falcon from the ‘Star Wars’ movie.
Stauder is proud of his grandma’s development as a Kendama artist.
“She has really picked up a lot of friends,” Stauder said. “Her family has now also joined her in playing.”
Once Christian and Grandma Shirley became obsessed with the game, Vollmer made it a trio.
Grandma has posted many tricks on her Instagram account.
Stauder and Vollmer said the tricks that can be done in Kendama are “endless.”
Grandma Shirley says she loves kendama and feels it helps keep her mind sharp and alert.
Stauder said in the Midwest, Kendama is not well known, but Grandma Shirley influenced someone in Michigan to give it a try.
“When we go out in public, we always have one around our neck and people always ask about it,” Stauder said.
Grandma Shirley even wrote out the lyrics of the Kendama song recorded by Stauder and Vollmer. Stauder is a guitarist and singer and his fiancé Vollmer is a drummer.
“Grandma Shirley wanted me to record the lyrics as a song and it took me a while, but then I changed a few chords and we did it,” he said. “We have been quarantined during some of COVID-19 but this has been great for us.
“My grandma is an incredible human being. She has always taken care of everybody else around her. I wanted her to be recognized for doing another thing I see as incredible.”
Shirley's Instagram account is under kengrandma and is linked below.
Videos of Grandma Shirley playing kendama and the video performed by Stauder and Vollmer:
https://instagram.com/kengrandma?igshid=1s5huwm30hddz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ZepLfbd8s&t=5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFilue8s2bs
