1. Andrew Lybrand
FYS 101-206
Foreign Toy
The toy that I chose to write about is called koma. This a toy that has been used by
Japanese children for thousands of years. This toy consists of a top that is spun using a string
that is wrapped around it and spun. The toy has many different variations. The toy can also be
very simple or do many different things such as make noises or be made to spin at a very fast
pace.
The toy first emerged in China and Japan thousands of years ago. It became a
competitive game during the Edo period. This period dates from 1603 to 1868. During this time
the toys were used in a game called beigoma. In this game the tops were placed in a ring and
spun so that they hit each other. The last koma left standing was the winner of the game.
The toy can be spun either by hand or by a string. When used in beigoma the tops are
spun by a string. During the edo period the tops were made of wood or lead. The toy has since
evolved and is now made out of steel as well as hard plastics.
The game that is best to compare it to in the modern day is the beyblade. This game
consists of spinning a top made of plastic and steel into a ring along with the opponents top and
battling until one of the tops is no longer standing. In the modern day game the tops can be
heavily modified to be heavy or light, and to be more or less solid. This is done to make the top
more able to take a hit and still remain standing.
Below is picture comparison of the traditional beigoma to the modern beyblade.
3. One can tell from looking at the pictures that the game has greatly evolved. This has
been done to the advances in technology that have occurred since the game first began thousands
of years ago in China and Japan. I chose this toy due to the fact of this change can be observed
and is documented.
