- Beigoma
Beigoma are a traditional Japanese spinning top toys for boys.
Description
A small but heavy disk shaped toy of approximately 3cm in diameter, it is spun by wrapping a thin 60 cm cord around it, then throwing it while releasing the chord to spin it onto a surface such as matting spread across the top of a barrel. The thrower aims it at another beigoma that is already spinning to knock it out of the playing area. The loser is the player whose top either stops spinning first or is knocked outside the area. If spun correctly it makes a humming sound.
They are often decorated with
kanji , for example with names of famous baseball players.]Fictional uses
In the film "Titanic" a boy is seen playing with a beigoma on the ship's deck.
References
External links
* [http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/34traditionalgame.htm A description with three images, halfway down the page]
* Some images of Beigoma [http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/images/tb_no11/t11_06.jpg] , [http://www.toy-udagawa.co.jp/cheaptoy/cheaptoy2/beigoma5.jpg] , [http://www.beigoma.com/images/eto-set.jpg]
* [http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=beigoma Beigoma on Flickr]
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