Sanuki plain’s abundance

In the northern part of Kagawa Prefecture, the Sanuki plain spreads out facing the Seto Inland Sea. With a landscape dotted with mountains like rice balls and a warm dry climate, in the Edo period, the production of wasanbon sugar, salt and cotton (known as the three Sanuki whites) flourished there. Sanuki kagari (embroidered)temari (handballs) are local toys that use cotton, one of the three whites. In 1987, the balls were acknowledged as traditional art objects in Kagawa Prefecture. Currently, led by Eiko Araki, over 150 members of an association for the preservation of Sanuki kagari temari are preserving techniques and striving to make the temari more widely known.