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The Abacus (or Soroban as it is called in Japan) is an ancient mathematical instrument used for calculation. The Abacus is one of the worlds first real calculating tools – and early forms of an Abacus are nearly 2500 years old. The word Abacus is derived from the Greek "Abax" meaning counting board and the original types of Abacus were stone slates with dust covering them and a stylus used for marking numbers. Later this evolved into a slate with groves where rocks or other counters would be placed to mark numbers. Later it finally evolved into a framed device with beads sliding along bamboo rods (Bernazzini, 2005).

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The popular form is a board with beads sliding on wires in a frame. In the mid 16th century, the Chinese abacus which had seven-bead in each column, two-bead in the upper deck and five-bead in the lower deck, was introduced into Japan. It became very popular and was used especially by Japanese merchants as a calculation tool in business. In around 1930, Japanese abacus, called “Soroban,” was modified into the modern configuration.

 

Today, the term Soroban/Abacus is used to depict the Japanese traditional abacus. It is a calculating tool which has 5 beads in each column. It is traditionally made from wood, and has five-bead in each column, one-bead in the upper deck and four-bead in the lower deck. The Soroban/Abacus helps to perform mainly addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Each bead has its own value, such as one, five, ten, and so on. A Soroban/Abacus is one of the most effective educational tool to boost the children’s calculation skills and number sense (Tomoe Soroban, 2017).

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