HIMEJI, Hyogo Pref. -- For a long time, koma (tops) were commonly given to children during the New Year's season. These days, however, the traditional toy is wobbling on the edge of extinction.
Shozo Nishizawa, 66, who is said to be the last lathe artisan in the Kansai region, thinks it a shame that the tradition of making Himeji koma will probably not survive as a profit-making business but more likely as a hobby. Nishizawa only hopes that his sons-in-law will someday develop an interest in the craft.
Originally created during the Edo Period, the Himeji koma was known for its unique spin, imparted by a steel stem and ring around the widest part of the body. Before World War II, Nishizawa's father Gensui, a master koma-maker, ran a factory that employed five workers and produced koma and other wooden products by lathe.