A long time ago, TEMARI, a thread-ball made of thousands of threads wound around a soft core, used to be hand-made in every part of Japan.
It is believed that it was first made for the princesses in each feudal domain by their maids. Each maid would embroider elegant geometric patterns with colorful silk threads, so that her princess can play with beautiful thread-balls, These thread-balls gradually became popular among common people later. Mothers would use plain cotton threads, emulating the elegant patterns, simply wishing to give something pretty to their daughters. And their daughters would one day become mothers and pass on the beautiful thread-balls to their daughters.

The gentle colors and soft touch of cotton was something particular to the thread-balls of SANUKI, which is an old name for the area located in the north east part of the Shikoku island, now called Kagawa. Due to its warm and dry climate, SANUKI, as a region, was able to produce cotton, salt and sugar of fine quality. Those three renowned products were called “the three whites of SANUKI” in the EDO period. Naturally, cotton was used for thread-balls in the area instead of silk, and it was dyed with natural materials. These have come to be the very characteristics of TEMARI in SANUKI region, something that every girl would have by her side growing up.

Our association aims at preserving the TEMARI; not just the methods and techniques of making one, but the whole culture that nurtured our unique products. From mother to daughter, and to granddaughter… Just like the way TEMARI was a part of their everyday life, we hope you will cherish our TEMARI as something dear to you.