Hikaru dorodango is a Japanese craft where spherical mud balls are polished to a high gloss. It was once popular with Japanese preschoolers and has been used to study the effects of simple play on learning. The process involves mixing dry earth and water, forming a small round capsule, adding dried dirt, and polishing with a soft cloth. The finished product resembles glazed billiard balls and is displayed as works of art in galleries worldwide.
Sometimes the best craftsmanship comes from the simplest materials and a great example is the Japanese craft known as hikaru dorodango. Hikaru dorodango are nothing more than spherical mud balls created from earth and water, but they can be polished to a surprisingly high gloss. The finished hikaru dorodango resemble glazed billiard balls and some are even displayed as works of art in galleries around the world.
Hobdi hikaru dorodango was once very popular with Japanese preschoolers, just like making mud pies and other mud products was popular with Western children. Over time, however, the art of hikaru dorodango has largely fallen out of favor as children have moved on to more sophisticated forms of play. A Japanese professor who remembered the craft as a child decided to use hikaru dorodango as a means of studying the effects of simple play on the learning process. The basic requirements for hikaru dorodango are just a supply of dry land and water, so it could be taught in virtually every school in Japan, regardless of economic status. Japanese schoolchildren had a renewed interest in the ancient craft of hikaru dorodango because of this study, and it is still popular today.
Forming a hikaru dorodango mudball begins with the proper mixing of dry earth and water. The resulting mud mixture should be relatively moist but not wet, almost like bread dough. Additional dry dirt should be sieved for any debris and stored nearby. It is the addition of dried dirt that will ultimately result in an ideal hikaru dorodango.
The next step is to form a small round capsule from the moistened dirt. Rolling the ball in the palm of your hand should produce a round ball, but hikaru dorodango’s art strives for perfection with every step. The round ball should be placed in a plastic bag and left to dry in the sun for at least half an hour. It should also be placed on something soft to prevent it from flattening while resting.
After the capsule has lost much of its moisture, more dirt is carefully worked into the ball, using the thumb pulp to maintain its spherical shape. This step should not be rushed, as it will determine the final roundness of the hikaru dorodango. Once the ball has reached about 3 inches in diameter and is perfectly round, it should be placed in a plastic bag to dry even more in the sun.
In the meantime, the final layer of earth must be prepared. This is an ultra-fine layer of dust that is best picked up by patting the soil with your hands and using the particles to stick to your skin. The dried dorodango ball should be compacted as much as possible, then dusted carefully until all the cracks and surface imperfections are filled. If well cooked, the surface of the dorodango should be very smooth to the touch and perfectly round.
The final step is to polish the hikaru dorodango with a soft cloth until it begins to form a noticeable sheen. Some dorodango can become as shiny as an enamelled billiard ball if polished very carefully. However, creating dorodango of this caliber requires some practice and dedication, along with the ideal soil type and appropriate weather conditions. Many people who try hikaru dorodango for the first time prefer to focus on achieving the ideal state of plumpness, then strive to enhance the aesthetic qualities of the finished dorodango.
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