KITS FOR BEGINNERS

Temari have a central core, which is usually made of rice husks, cotton or Styrofoam. Yarn is then wound around the core to form a ball-shaped base. Next, the surface of the ball is marked at the top — the “north pole” when thought of as a globe — and at the south pole and equatorial points. It is further marked with reference lines, which indicate where stitches should be placed to depict patterns.

As it is hard to make a ball-shaped base from scratch, Sato recommends that beginners use a temari kit with a premade base. Her museum o ers one that includes the base, needle and threads, as well as hands-on temari-making workshops.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, lessons are given by some organizations, including Temari Bunko gallery in Tokyo, which is run by the Nihon Temari no Kai, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the temari tradition. People interested in the cra can also nd books explaining how to make temari with text and illustrations.

Top: Honjo Gotenmari from Akita Prefecture with its characteristic tassels; above: A kanzashi hairpin decorated with small geometric patterned temari balls.

A ball-shaped base used to make temari