Some imagine that the abacus is a tool for children, but did you know that the Japanese use this tool practically even in place of a calculator? Today we will talk about the famous Japanese abacus called soroban and about the Japanese art of handling it.
Soroban (そろばん) is the name given to the Japanese abacus, which consists of a professional and practical calculation instrument. It was invented in China where it was called suanpan, and was brought to Japan around 1600.
The Soroban is a quite simple device, consisting of rods and beads, fixed in a frame. There are different types of abacuses, dating back to 400 years before Christ. It was widely used in Egypt, Rome, Greece, India, and other ancient civilizations.
Over time, different improvements were made to this calculation tool made of stones and wood until it reached the soroban we are writing about today.
The word soroban [算盤] is derived from the ideogram [算] which means to calculate, to guess, numbers and probabilities, along with the ideogram [盤] which means tray, shallow bowl, platter, plate, and similar things.
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How is the soroban used in Japan?
In Japan, it is taught in schools for children from the age of 3. They are even used in companies. In fact, some office jobs require a soroban certificate.
Using a soroban helps in learning mathematics, memory, and abstract logical reasoning, in addition to being a fun device. You probably encountered an abacus when you were a child, but the soroban is completely different. It has only five beads, or stones in each numerical order.
It is usually used in an improved way capable of generating extremely fast techniques to perform any calculation, whether addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. It is also possible to work with hours, minutes, seconds, conversion of weights and measures, integers, decimals, negatives, square and cubic roots.
Using the soroban, some have been able to learn to do mental calculations. Gradually, the Japanese abacus enables people to acquire skills to perform mental calculations with huge digits. Using the soroban can make you have skills faster than a calculator!
The champion Takeo Sasano entered the record book with a time of 1.83 seconds (not even two seconds!) calculating 15 numbers of 3 digits each. Test yourself: time how long it takes you to calculate this on a calculator… That way you will understand the power of the Soroban!
Soroban is not just a toy, it is a tool that many dedicate years of practice to achieve the skill called anzan soroban [暗算そろばん] or soroban mental allowing the person to perform gigantic calculations without the instrument.
Benefits of using the Japanese abacus
See other skills that are also perceived in the use of the Soroban:
- Improves concentration and memorization, especially for numbers;
- Sharpened visualization and inspiration;
- More attentive observation;
- Faster information processing;
- Increased “auditory speed”;
- Mental calculation;
- Eliminates stress and anxiety;
- Logical reasoning;
- Discipline;
- Agility;
Perhaps you are wondering what the difference is between the Chinese abacus suanpan and the Japanese abacus soroban. The Chinese abacus usually has five pieces at the bottom and two pieces at the top, two more pieces, a different way of calculating.
Construction of the Japanese abacus – Soroban
The Soroban consists of several columns, each representing a unit, ten, hundred, etc. Each column, in turn, is divided into two, where one side has one piece and the other has four pieces. The reading of the soroban is done from left to right.
At the top, there is one bead (or piece) per column. Each bead means five numerical units, and these beads are called godama because go means five and dama means piece.
At the bottom of each column, there are four beads, each meaning one numerical unit and are called ichidama because ichi means one and dama means piece.
The frame of the soroban is called waku, while the dividing bar that separates the godama from the ichidama is called hari. Keta is the name of the bamboo rod where the beads (tama) slide.
When the upper beads or pieces are up, and the lower beads are down, the Soroban is “zeroed.” When we move a bead from the bottom up, we will have 1; if we move one more, we will have the representation of 2, and so on.
To represent 5, just move the upper bead from the chosen numerical place as the unit’s house up. Although it seems simple to do calculations with this instrument, it is necessary to learn techniques.
After mastering the technique called shuzan [珠算], you become much smarter than a calculator.
Videos of the Japanese abacus – Soroban
See some videos that show the great skill and use of the soroban:
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