I was saving this for a video, but since I showed it off in Catch & Flow (although I missed it), and to other people in Japan, I may as well bust it out here now.
Enjoy.
Note: Spin from underneath, instead of on top, to make it rotate the other way.
Tips:
- Make sure you get a good, fast spin on the tama.
- Make sure the ken is really horizontal as you start the spin.
- Soften the "landing" with your knees and your arm: A string-jerk will kill the gyroscopic effect.
- Allow the tama to rotate between 1 and 2 times before you lift it back up. The exact amount depends on how fast you span it, so.... experiment!
- You can "see" this trick best with a 1-stripe tama. It's difficult to spot the rotation on a single colour tama, or one with a "busy" pattern.
