Last updated on January 1, 2019
Gasing, or top spinning, is a traditional game popular among Indonesians in the olden days. Gasing game came to Japan through China but apparently the origin of this game is from Indonesia. There is a similarity between the shape of traditional Gasing from Miyazaki, Kyushu and the one from Yogyakarta. Both made of Bamboo.
Both adults and children can play the game. The object of the game is to keep the top spinning for as long as possible.
There is no fixed number of players and the game can be played either in teams or individually. A circle is first drawn on the ground marking the circumference within which the top is to spin. A player holds the top in his hand and grips the loose end of the string between the fingers and throws the top in the circle while at the same time pulls the string backwards which sends the top into a spinning action.
The one who’s top spins the longest and within the specified circle becomes the winner. Once the top spins out of the circle the player loses the game.
Another variation of the game is called the striking match, whereby the player tries to knock his opponents’ top out of the circle with his own.
The gasing or top is usually made of wood or hard fruits. It comes with a string, which is tightly wound round†a nail at the base of the top. They come in different shapes of tops. Different area has different shape of Gasing as pictured.
This game is fast becoming extinct with the invention of computer games, lego, etc. In January 2009, Seiichi Okawa, – the founder of Graha Budaya Indonesia in Tokyo, Japan – organized Indonesia Gasing Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan.
Photography by Seiichi Okawa