Title:

女男つり独楽 (meoto tsurigoma)
spousal string-release top

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These tops depict a husband and wife. They are a specific type of tsurigoma (string-release tops) called ijiwaru koma (unkind/wicked tops), so-named because they are particularly difficult to spin. The string of the top must be wrapped very precisely and the top thrown just right to get it to spin.

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Hiroi Michiaki: Umm this is an ijiwaru koma (unkind top). It’s not really named anything in particular. It’s a man and woman.

Paula Curtis: A married couple?

Hiroi:  Yeah. A spousal string-release top. An unkind top. I made it an “unkind” couple.