‘Chochin-goma, Lantern-top’ from Japan

[Jeremy McCreary]

Great video! Two things caught my eye...

1. How vertical he manages to keep the koma during 2-handed manual spin-up at 3:35. One of many examples of fine contol with large muscle groups in this performance.

2. The tasseled coax tops entering after 3:45. He then has to manage the hit in koma spin time as the tassels bump up the rate of spin angular momentum transfer to the surrounding air.

Just a plain bearing between the coax components?

[JNeff]

Yes!!!  I love that. What a great idea. I wonder if they sell that on Amazon? Probably sold out.

[ta0]

There is currently a lantern top (提灯 独楽) on a Yahoo Japan auction. It looks of modern manufacture (although the seller has had it for 15 to 20 years). The problem is that he is asking about $1,300 usd! 





A Kyokugoma performer, Koyama Yasunobu, wire walks and then opens an identical Chochingoma (but different colors) on this video, starting at 1:52 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntza4vDMDYc

From his blog, he also modified one with a Halloween theme:

[ta0]

During the visit to Mr. Ito's workshop, he showed us this lantern top with a very long "lantern" that used to belong to a performer:



He wouldn't sell it, but he did sell me a brand new one. Actually, just the spintop part, to be filled by me with the lantern of my choosing.





The upper part is made from the metal lid of a cookie can, apparently (I can read the name Gracious from the inside,) while the lower part is turned out of wood.



Any suggestions for the lantern to put inside?