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https://apnews.com/article/japan-craft-tradition-temari-balls-embroidery-f96611976b5a07db22fa870098ebde5a>
"KAWARAMACHI, Japan (AP) — Time seems to stop here.
Women sit in a small circle, quietly, painstakingly stitching patterns on balls
the size of an orange, a stitch at a time.
At the center of the circle is Eiko Araki, a master of the Sanuki Kagari
Temari, a Japanese traditional craft passed down for more than 1,000 years on
the southwestern island of Shikoku.
Each ball, or “temari,” is a work of art, with colorful geometric patterns
carrying poetic names like “firefly flowers” and “layered stars.” A temari ball
takes weeks or months to finish. Some cost hundreds of dollars (tens of
thousands of yen), although others are much cheaper.
These kaleidoscopic balls aren’t for throwing or kicking around. They’re
destined to be heirlooms, carrying prayers for health and goodness. They might
be treasured like a painting or piece of sculpture in a Western home.
The concept behind temari is an elegant otherworldliness, an impractical beauty
that is also very labor-intensive 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.”"
Via Frederick Wilson II.
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*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
