Sanuki Kagari Temari Preservation Society
讃岐かがり手まり保存会
Temari is said to have originated in the court as a toy for princesses during the Heian period. It is one of the crafts that were once made all over Japan, but its development has been diverse. While there are luxurious and gorgeous temari made with silk and gold threads, Sanuki Kagari Temari is characterized by the use of cotton threads in gentle colors dyed with plants and trees.
The core is made of rice husks wrapped in thin paper, and thin cotton threads are wound around the core to make a sphere (base ball). Cotton thread is regularly interspersed with geometric patterns to express chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms, and other traditional Japanese patterns.
Natural incense is also placed inside the base mari to bring fragrance and color to the space.
平安時代に姫君の玩具として宮中で誕生したといわれる手まり。かつては日本各地で作られていた工芸のひとつですが、その発展は多種多様です。絹糸や金糸を使った豪華絢爛な手まりもありますが、「讃岐かがり手まり」は草木染をしたやさしい色合いの木綿糸を使うことが特徴です。
籾殻を薄手の紙で包んだものを芯にして、細い木綿糸を巻いて球体（土台まり）を作ります。土台まりに木綿糸を規則的に行き交わし、幾何学的な模様をかがることで、菊や桜の花や日本の伝統模様を表現しています。 また土台まりの中に天然香を入れて、空間に香りと彩りをもたらす品々もあります。
Temari in the Sanuki region was actively made during the Edo period, but by the Meiji period, its existence was gradually forgotten due to mechanization and the spread of rubber balls.
After World War II, Mr. and Mrs. Araki started researching and studying the art with almost no makers, and breathed life into a technique that had almost disappeared. 1977 they named it "Sanuki Kagari Temari," and in 1986 they established the "Sanuki Kagari Temari Preservation Society". In 1987, Sanuki Kagari Temari was designated as a traditional craft by Kagawa Prefecture, and the Sanuki Kagari Temari Preservation Society was certified as the designated manufacturer.
Today, the preservation society is led by his daughter-in-law, Eiko Araki, who has succeeded to their wishes, and together with more than 100 other makers, produces works that incorporate new sensibilities and expressions, while respecting traditional materials and techniques.
江戸時代には盛んに作られていた讃岐地方の手まりですが、明治期になると機械化やゴムまりの普及により、次第にその存在が忘れられていきました。戦後、香川県の職員であった荒木 計雄と妻の八重子が、作り手がほぼいないところから調査と研究を重ね、消えかけていた技に命を吹き込みました。
1977年「讃岐かがり手まり」と命名、1986年「讃岐かがり手まり保存会」を立ち上げます。継承と普及に尽力し、1987年「讃岐かがり手まり」は香川県の伝統的工芸品に指定され、「讃岐かがり手まり保存会」は指定製造者に認定されました。現在は義娘である荒木 永子が二人の遺志を受け継ぎ保存会を主宰。
100人余りの作り手とともに、昔ながらの素材や技法を大切にしながら、新しい感覚や表現を取り入れた作品を生み出しています。
Kagawa Prefecture is located in the northeastern part of Shikoku, facing the Seto Inland Sea.
四国の北東部、瀬戸内海に面した香川県。
In the past, it was called Sanuki Province, and during the Edo Period, it was famous for the "Sanuki Sanpaku" (three whites of Sanuki). Sanpaku refers to cotton, salt, and sugar, all of which were specialties of the region's mild climate and lack of rainfall. Sanuki Kagari Temari uses cotton threads, one of the three whites. The soft colors are dyed with plants and trees.
At the workshop of the preservation society, which occupies the site of an old wooden kindergarten, cotton threads are dyed with plants and trees to create a colorful assortment of kagari threads, and the makers are constantly refining their skills while devising color matching techniques.
The workshop also offers classes and sells temari and threads.
その昔は讃岐国と呼ばれ、江戸時代には「讃岐三白」で名を馳せました。三白とは木綿、塩、砂糖を指し、いずれも温暖で雨が少ない土地ならではの名産品でした。
讃岐かがり手まりは、三白のひとつである木綿の糸を使っています。やさしい色合いは、草木染めしたものです。 古い木造の幼稚園跡地を利用した保存会の工房では、木綿の糸を草木染して彩り豊かにかがり糸を揃え、作り手たちは色合わせに工夫を凝らしながら、日々、腕を磨いています。工房ではお教室の開催や、手まりや糸の販売も行っています。
1987 Designated as a traditional craft of Kagawa Prefecture
2006 Eiko Araki certified as a traditional craftsman in Kagawa Prefecture February 2012
CCJ Craft Fair C Mark Certification; "Nihohi Temari Kiri Box" (paulownia box) February 2013
CCJ Craft Fair C-Mark Certification; "KOUTEMARI (scented temari)" November 2013
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Kagawa Prefecture Product Contest; "KOUTEMARI"