Is Takuya Igarashi the Best Kendama Player Ever?

In 2020, a dangerous stormfront showed itself to the kendama community. For the past four years, it has struck event after event - shattering the competition and repeatedly proving that it brews a force to be reckoned with. In recent news, this massive storm has even gone intercontinental, causing players abroad to tremble at the thought of crossing its path.

We’re talking, of course, about Takuya Igarashi - three-time Kendama World Cup Champ (‘20, ‘22, ‘23), 2020 Catch and Flow Winner, and recently crowned as the 2024 European Kendama Freestyle Champion! 

Takuya, a professional kendama player from Japan, has been at the forefront of conversation within kendama for the past several years. Since 2020, he’s been taking World Cup titles year after year, continuously breaking tap world records and evaporating the limits of what’s possible with a kendama. Just a few weeks ago, he firmly cemented himself as one of the best players on the planet, taking first place in Freestyle and third in the Open (Pro) Division at the European Kendama Championship in Leiden, Netherlands. This is also the first time Takuya has traveled out of Japan to compete in a competition, a notable achievement very few players can say they’ve done!

The Finals Match Heard Around the World

If you’ve never seen high-level kendama play, you’re in for a treat! Our friends at BIRL were on the scene in Leiden and captured one of the most exciting, entertaining, and rowdy freestyle matches we’ve ever seen. You can see Takuya go head-to-head with the freestyle behemoth and defending 2023 European Freestyle Champion, Yasu, making the crowd erupt in this mind-melting finals match. If you didn’t already know, Kendama certainly isn’t just a schoolchildren’s skill toy anymore.

What’s Next for Takuya?

With 5 major titles under his belt and the 2024 Kendama World Cup just around the corner, Takuya is likely setting his sights on a fourth World Cup title and maintaining his reign as champion. With the number of players having the skills to match Takuya’s being a handful at best, some players might even say that their only chance of winning is if Takuya doesn’t compete, either by his own choice or by accident. 

In addition to being incredible at kendama, Takuya has an avid interest in Parkour - a freestyle approach to getting from point A to point B in creative, stylish, and sometimes, flat-out dangerous ways. Some players think it’s an impressive and cool way to explore your surroundings, while others argue that Takuya risks taking himself out of competition from the potential risk of injury in doing Parkour. We’re not sure whether Parkour helps his kendama skills or vice versa, but we hope that he continues hitting every line flawlessly, especially when we’re so close to the next kendama event!

Follow Takuya here: https://www.instagram.com/takuya_04.17/ 

Who Will Win the 2024 World Cup?

We can’t say for sure who will win the World Cup Championship right now, but you can trust we will be watching closely to find out! The 2024 Kendama World Cup will be held on July 27th and 28th in the birthplace of kendama, Hatsukaichi, Japan. The 12 levels of tricks have all been posted for viewing, so if you want to be the new champion, we’d suggest beginning your practice regimen right away - we’d wager that Takuya already has!

For those planning on visiting and competing in Japan, we’d recommend visiting GLOKEN’s website to register for the competition and find more key details to help plan your trip. For people who can’t make it to Japan this summer, you can still get involved with the World Cup by competing in the online “Trial Division” on July 27th. See the GLOKEN website for more - the deadline for all competition registration is June 23, 2024.

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For more on kendama events, check out our page on the biggest kendama events to look forward to each year.

Unsure about your skills and whether you can compete? We've got some great tips that should help you squash those worries in our post, "Am I Good Enough to Compete?".

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Written by Cody Booth.

Cody is a kendama player and freelance writer/editor that specializes in culture, current events, and all things kendama. He was the Lead Writer/Editor at Sweets from 2021-2024 and has written and edited works published by Sweets Kendamas, Sol Kendamas, and Yank Mag.