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Associated Press

Time seems to stand still in Takamatsu, Japan.
Women sit quietly in a small circle, painstakingly stitching patterns on balls the size of oranges. At the centre of the circle is Eiko Araki, a master of the traditional Japanese craft of Sanuki kagari temari.
Temari, making handheld balls from embroidery, was historically practised all over Japan.
But in Kagawa prefecture, formerly Sanuki province, on the southern island of Shikoku, this special brand of the craft – set apart by the use of gentle colours and threads made from the region’s soft, high-quality cotton – has been passed down for more than 1,000 years.

Each ball is a work of art, with colourful geometric patterns carrying poetic names like “firefly flowers” and “layered stars”.
Balls take weeks, often even months, to finish, with the price for one sometimes reaching tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of US dollars). Some can be much cheaper.
These kaleidoscopic balls are not for throwing or kicking around.
They are destined to be heirlooms and charms for good health and good fortune, to be treasured like a painting or sculpture is in a Western home.
Temari represent an elegant otherworldliness, an impractical beauty that takes a lot of time and work to create.

“Out of nothing, something this beautiful is born, bringing joy,” says Araki. “I want it to be remembered there are beautiful things in this world that can only be made by hand.”
At Araki’s studio, there are 140 hues of cotton thread, including delicate pinks and blues as well as more vivid colours and all the subtle gradations in between.
The women dye the cotton by hand using plants, flowers and other natural ingredients including cochineal, a cactus-dwelling insect crushed to produce a red dye.

Darker shades of indigo are achieved by dying the cotton again and again until it becomes almost black. Yellow and blue dyes are combined to form gorgeous greens.
Outside the studio, loops of cotton thread hang outside in the shade to dry.
The arduous process of temari starts with making the ball mould on which the stitching is done.
Cooked, dried rice husks are placed in a piece of cotton and wound with thread over and over until, almost magically, a ball appears.
Then the stitching begins.


The balls are surprisingly hard, so each stitch requires a concentrated, almost painful, push. The motifs must be precise and even.
Each ball has lines to guide the stitching – one around the circumference and others that zigzag from top to bottom.
There has recently been renewed interest in temari among Japanese people and foreigners alike. United States ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy took temari lessons a decade ago when she was the ambassador to Japan.
When people start to feel joy along with the hardship that comes with making temari, they tend to keep going
Eiko Araki
Yoshie Nakamura, who promotes Japanese handcrafted art in her duty-free shop at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, says she features temari because of its intricate designs.
“Temari that might have been [used in] everyday [life] in a faraway era are now being used for interior decoration,” she says.
Araki has come up with some newer designs that feel both modern and historical. She is trying to make the balls more accessible – as Christmas tree decorations, for example.
A strap with a dangling miniature ball, although quite hard to make because of its size, is affordable, at about 1,500 yen (US$10).

Another of her inventions is a cluster of pastel balls made to open and shut by tiny magnets. Fill it with sweet-smelling herbs for a kind of aromatic diffuser.
Araki is a graceful woman who talks very slowly, her head cocked to one side as though always in thought.
She often travels to Tokyo to teach, but mostly works and gives lessons in her studio, an abandoned school with faded blue paint and big windows with tired wooden frames.
She started out as a metalwork artist. Her husband’s parents were temari masters who worked hard to resurrect the art form.
They were stoic people, rarely giving praise and instead always scolding her, she remembers.

It was the tough-love approach that is common in the handing down of many Japanese traditions, from kabuki acting to hogaku music – crafts that require a lifetime of devotion.
Today, only several dozen people, all women, can make the temari balls to traditional standards.
“The most challenging aspect is nurturing successors. It typically takes over 10 years to train them, so you need people who are willing to continue the craft for a very long time,” Araki says.
“When people start to feel joy along with the hardship that comes with making temari, they tend to keep going.”


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Temari balls at a Japanese craft studio in Takamatsu, Japan. Photo: AP

Temari master Eiko Araki at her studio in Takamatsu, Japan. With her Christmas tree decorations, diffusers and more, she is pushing the centuries-old Japanese art into the 21st century. The problem is finding successors to take the mantle. Photo: AP

Sanuki kagari temari balls on display at Araki’s studio. Temari has been practised for centuries all across Japan, with Kagawa prefecture having its own unique brand of the ancient craft. Photo: AP

At Araki’s studio, women stitch as part of the arduous process of making temari. Photo: AP

Various shades of cotton thread used for making temari are stored in shelves at Araki’s studio. Photo: AP

Cotton thread used for Sanuki kagari temari hangs to dry outside at Araki’s studio. Photo: AP

A woman at Araki’s studio stitches a temari ball. Photo: AP

Temari balls in a gift box at Araki’s studio. Temari can sell for hundreds of US dollars a piece. Photo: AP

Araki says finding successors to preserve temari is difficult, as the craft takes years to learn. Photo: AP

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Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

Handmade in Japan for centuries, temari can sell for hundreds of US dollars. Some women still ‘bring joy’ by their dedication to the craft


Handmade in Japan for centuries, temari can sell for hundreds of US dollars. Some women still ‘bring joy’ by their dedication to the craft.


Japan