🎎 Antique Japanese Battling Top – Hand-Turned Wood and Iron Koma | Japan Antique Roadshow
A survivor from Japan’s 昭和時代 (Showa era) childhood—this handcrafted
#koma (wooden spinning top) was built not for display, but for
#competitiveplay, hurled into rings to clash with rival tops until only one remained spinning. Likely crafted between the 1940s and 1960s, it features a hand-turned wooden body reinforced with an iron band and axle.
This particular
#vintagetoy shows signs of serious use: a hairline crack reinforced with a nail, deep weathering, and rust on the metal. The balance feels purposeful, the weight steady—clearly the product of both spirited play and a practiced hand.
Such tops were once ubiquitous in Japanese neighborhoods, often played on packed-dirt lots near shrines or on backstreet corners. They were typically made locally, reflecting the spirit of
#mingei (民芸)—Japanese folk craft that values the practical, the handmade, and the beautifully imperfect.
Specifications:
• Diameter: 8 cm
• Height: 6 cm
• Weight: 150 g
• Materials: Wood, iron
• Estimated Era: Mid-Showa (1940s–60s)
• Collected in: Shizuoka Prefecture
Curated by Kurt Bell in Shizuoka City, this nostalgic
#ShowaEra artifact captures a time when joy came from spinning, battling, and learning to lose graciously. A true relic of Japan’s humble but spirited past.
To purchase:
softypapa-shop.fourthwall.co…
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