Temari - The World in the Palm of Your Hands

Walking into a temari workshop in the city of Takamatsu in Shikoku, your eyes are immediately overwhelmed by dozens of multicolored spheres. Hundreds of pastel-dyed threads come together to form mesmerizing patterns which evoke natural scenes like blooming lotuses and whirlpools. These balls are said by enthusiasts to represent the globe itself, marked with poles and divided into hemispheres which are adorned in gorgeous symmetry. 

Temari were originally the favored toys of Japan's elite, embroidered with silk thread for use in a game similar to hackey-sack called kemari. As elite customs became more widespread in the Edo Period (17th-19th c.), temari, too, became a staple of Japanese households. The unique temari of Kagawa represent the toy's democratization. Their cores are made of nothing but rice husks and Japanese paper wrapped in cotton thread; rather than silk string they are embroidered with cotton, and rather than flashy colors they feature understated natural dyes. 

But combine these simple materials with the skilled hands of a craftsperson, and you get a perfect balance between the intricate and soothing. This quality has earned Kagawa's temari a place among the finest of Shikoku's handicrafts. Temari's charm meant their popularity as a decoration lasted well into the 20th centurty. Like so many such traditional products, though, the temari industry has suffered from modernization, with less consumers and, as such, less craftspeople capable of making them at the highest level.

For the makers of temari and many other crafts in Shikoku, tourism is a light in the darkness. Craftspeople like Eiko at Sanuki Kagari Temari have begun offering highly popular temari workshops, giving domestic and international visitors a chance to experience the joy of crafting these mesmerizing toys from start to finish. These workshops generate interest in temari, supplementary income for craftspeople, and in rare but much-needed cases, newcomers to the industry who aim to become professional craftspeople. 

Shikoku Tours offers a number of tours that include making temari in Kagawa, and participants have nothing but praise. "There's nothing quite like the crunch of the needle as it hits the rice husks," one participant said. "What's not to love?" said another, "The process is meditative, the result is satisfying, and they're just beautiful!"