Dorodango

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A dorodango at an "early" stage. In this case, the lack of shininess is due to it not yet undergoing polishing with fine dust particles.
A dorodango at an "early" stage. In this case, the lack of shininess is due to it not yet undergoing polishing with fine dust particles.

Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are moulded to create a shiny sphere, resembling a marble or billiard ball.

[edit] Etymology

The phrase 泥だんご, reading dorodango is derived from

  • 泥 (どろ doro) literally "mud" in Japanese
  • だんご (dango) are a type of round dumpling, created from pressed rice flour.

[edit] Technique

Making the basic dorodango is a traditional pastime for schoolchildren, somewhat like English conkers.

More recently the process has been refined into the art of the hikaru ("shining") dorodango (光る泥だんご), which has a glossy or patterned surface. The core of the ball is made of basic mud, and further dusted with finer-grained soil before the water is drawn out through various methods- even sealing the ball inside a plastic bag and letting the water evaporate and then condense. Once the ball is fully tempered and hardened, it is polished by hand and displayed.

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