How Japan’s Yo-Yo Master Became One of the Earliest Memes: Master Nakamura, The Hyper Yo-Yo Wiz
From the outside, the yoyo subculture is unassuming but is in fact super hardcore and houses the most tactically skilled humans in the world.
Japan was again triumphant as the place to be for yo-yo otakus a few years ago. Originally imported from America, the Hyper Yo-Yo was a type of yoyo commercialized in Japan by Bandai in 1997: this marked the biggest boom for yo-yo in Japan. A humongous 27 million or so units were sold in the first two years of launch, and the yo-yo was becoming a social phenomenon with competition and events being held regularly at that time.
The best performers doing impossible tricks were officially certified and even appeared on television. Kenichi Nakamura, nicknamed Nakamura-Meijin [Master Nakamura], was one of them. Active between 1997 and 2000 as a professional spinner and member of the Hawaiian team High Performance, he ranked 2nd place at the 1997 edition of the World Yo-Yo Championship. He also holds the record for running a 100 meter in 15.7 seconds while spinning a yo-yo in one hand.
His signature trick, “Spider Baby”, was even represented in the manga and anime “Super YoYo” [Chosoku Spinner]. In the pilot “Moero! Spinner”, Kenichi Nakamura appears as the national yo-yo champion performing the “Spider Baby” trick. In 2006, Nakamura’s iconic trick was converted into a meme and inserted in several manga and anime panels, and the results are hilarious.
Master Nakamura appeared in different TV shows, giving insights about his legendary yo-yo spinning techniques, his expertise, and his knowledge of yo-yo products.
To this day, he is still a relevant figure and never stops impressing us with his undying passion and fiery talent.
About the Author:
Marius Grandin
Born in the suburbs of Paris, he moved for the first time to Osaka in 2019 and then came back to Japan to live in Toyko in 2022. Passionate about vintage culture and Japan, he is having fun at Sabukaru.
