KAWARAMACHI, Japan -- Time seems to stop here.

Women sit together in a small circle, working diligently and quietly, carefully stitching patterns onto balls the size of oranges, one stitch at a time.

At the center of the circle is Eiko Araki, a master of Sanuki Kagari Temari, a Japanese traditional art form that has been practiced for over 1,000 years on the southwestern island of Shikoku.

Each temari ball is a beautiful piece of art, showcasing vibrant geometric patterns with poetic names like “firefly flowers” and “layered stars.” It takes weeks or months to create a temari ball. Some can cost hundreds of dollars (tens of thousands of yen), while others are more affordable.

These kaleidoscopic balls aren’t meant for throwing or kicking around. They are destined to become cherished heirlooms, carrying prayers for well-being and prosperity. They might be treasured like a painting or sculpture in a Western home.

The essence of temari is an elegant otherworldly charm, an impractical beauty that requires meticulous and extensive effort to create.

“From nothing, something so beautiful arises, bringing joy," says Araki. "I hope people remember that there are exquisite things in this world that can only be crafted by hand.”

The region where temari originated was ideal for cotton cultivation, warm with minimal rainfall, and the spherical creations continue to be made from this humble material.

At Araki's studio, which also serves as the headquarters for temari's preservation society, there are 140 shades of cotton thread, including delicate pinks and blues, as well as more vibrant colors and all the subtle gradations in between.

The women dye them by hand, using plants, flowers and other natural ingredients, including cochineal, a bug dwelling in cacti that yields a red dye . The deeper hue of indigo is dyed repeatedly to achieve almost black. Yellow and blue are combined to form stunning greens. Soy juice is added to intensify the tints, a touch of organic protein.

Outside the studio, lengths of cotton thread, in various shades of yellow today, hang in the shade to dry.

The laborious process begins by creating the basic ball form upon which the stitching is done. Cooked and dried rice husks are enveloped in a piece of cotton, then wound repeatedly with thread until, seemingly by magic, a ball materializes in your hands.

Then the stitching begins.

The balls are surprisingly firm, so each stitch demands a focused, almost painful, push. The patterns must be precise and consistent.

Each ball features lines as stitching guides — a line circling it like the equator, and others that crisscross towards the top and bottom.

In recent times, temari has gained fresh recognition, both among Japanese and international audiences. Caroline Kennedy learned the art of ball-making when she served as the United States ambassador to Japan a decade ago.

Yoshie Nakamura, dedicated to promoting Japanese handcrafted art in her duty-free shop at Tokyo's Haneda airport, explains that she showcases temari due to its intricate and delicate designs.

“Temari, once commonplace in a distant time, is now finding new life as an element of interior design,” she remarked.

“I truly believe that each Sanuki Kagari Temari represents a unique and irreplaceable existence in the world."

Araki has created new designs that are both contemporary and reminiscent of the past. She aims to make these balls more commonplace, even suggesting their use as Christmas tree ornaments. A small, dangling ball attached to a strap, though difficult to create due to its size, is surprisingly affordable, costing around 1,500 yen ($10).

Another innovative creation by Araki is a cluster of pastel balls that open and close using tiny magnets. It can be filled with fragrant herbs, transforming it into an aromatic diffuser.

Araki, an elegant woman with a contemplative demeanor, often travels to Tokyo to share her knowledge. However, she primarily works and teaches in her studio, a former kindergarten with faded blue walls and large windows framed in weathered wood.

Her artistic journey began with metalwork. Her husband's parents, renowned temari masters, dedicated themselves to reviving the art form during a period of decline, striving to prevent its extinction.

They were stern individuals, rarely offering compliments and instead frequently providing criticism, she recalls. This approach, a combination of tough love and guidance, is prevalent in the transmission of numerous Japanese traditional arts, spanning Kabuki acting to hogaku music, demanding a lifetime of dedicated devotion.

Currently, only a handful of individuals, all women, possess the skills to create temari balls adhering to traditional standards.

“The most daunting aspect is cultivating successors. It usually takes over a decade to train them, so you need individuals committed to sustaining the craft for a significant period,” Araki stated.

“When individuals begin to experience joy alongside the challenges inherent in temari creation, they tend to persevere.”

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AP journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report.

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Yuri Kageyama is active on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama