Bonkura

Toshikazu 'Bonkura' Nagai (5 December 1985-13 September 2007) was a famous JEB spinner. He was one of the first spinners to be televised, along with the likes of SEVEN and Ryo and was vice chairman of Pen Spinning Association Japan, an organization aiming to teach and spread awareness of pen spinning. Competitively he took part in the Pen Spinning World Tournament 2007. He features in famous early Collaboration Videos such as JapEn 1st and JapEn 2nd.

Bonkura's influence on the hobby across many facets has resulted in him being considered one of the first 'legendary' spinners, and he consistently ranks high on lists of the best spinners of all time.

Spinning

Solo videos

1st Solo

First posted on UCPSB on June 15th, 2006.

2nd Solo

Released on August 15th, 2007.

Influential work

I-Sonic

See also: I-Sonic

Short for Invisible Sonic, Bonkura first showed off an I-Sonic in his fist solo video as one of his 'fan' combos. It involved hiding the pen behind one of his fingers during a sonic, only to make it disappear when a fan passed over it, then reappear once the fan passed again. He performs it by balancing the pen on his pinky finger and holding the ring in front. Although well executed, this variant was not very convincing as the pen clearly had to be ditched behind the fan either onto his other hand or the floor. On the slomo he can be seen scooping the pen from behind the fan to continue afterwards, too.

The later, more impressive 'Bonkura I-Sonic' variation was performed in his second year solo. In the clip, he is spinning a relatively long white mod that appears to be a Comssa variant. His protruding ulnar styloid bone on his wrist can also be noted. Starting by performing the trick the traditional way, he surprises the viewer by opening his hand to show the pen has disappeared, with no fingers holding it in place before collecting it afterwards. There are numerous theories on how he accomplished this feat, but the traditional explanation is that he wedged the pen between his ring finger and ulnar styloid on his wrist.

Bonkura Trick

See also: Bonkura Trick

An advanced swivel variation showcased in the last clip of his second solo video. By modern standards it is considered to be a swivel reverse performed on the wrist joint, starting and ending in the palm.

Competitive Spinning

World Tournament 2007

Round 1

Versus Nanna. The stall was considered extremely difficult and surprising for the time, which led to the combo sometimes being labeled as one of the greatest combos of all time.

Round 2

Versus Daft System.

Round 3

Versus Mizm.

Round 4

Versus Eriror.

Death

Bonkura died of cardiac failure on the 13th of September 2007, aged 21. The news was announced to the pen spinning community on the 21st of September 2007, with a eulogy of his contributions to PSAJ and the pen spinning community as a whole.