So, this is very interesting... I know I used to find making clay balls in pottery class would help keep me focused and calm...

The #Meditative Art of #Hikaru #Dorodango: How Japanese Schoolchildren Turn Mud Into Shiny Spheres

A developmental psychology professor discovered hikaru dorodango in a Japanese schoolyard in 1999, and the practice is still inspiring artists worldwide today.

By Marla Mackoul
Aug 12, 2025

Excerpts: "No one is quite sure how hikaru dorodango originated, but it’s clear that it wouldn’t be as prominent as it is today without the efforts of Japanese developmental psychology professor Fumio Kayo. In 1999, Kayo was visiting a Kyoto nursery school to observe children at play when he noticed them deeply concentrated on forming playground dirt into shining spheres. It was a painstaking process even teachers would join in on. After working so long and so hard to create them, the dorodango would become treasured possessions of the children.

Making a dorodango involved locating the perfect soil, mixing it into mud, molding it into a sphere, and finally polishing it to perfection. The art requires patience, trial and error, and resourcefulness, causing it to be praised for its beneficial impact on early childhood development. Indeed, Kayo both published academic papers on the subject as well as developed a simple methodology that allowed him to introduce the activity to children across Kyoto. Hikaru dorodango was featured by Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2001, and it has slowly gained prominence internationally—and among adults—since then.

"Other artists around the world have also found creating the mud balls to be both an excellent creative outlet as well as a grounding meditative practice. Artist Kiyoko Miki, for instance, uses different soil types and paint to create colored pastes, turning her dorodango into every color of the rainbow. She even drills holes into some to make charming flower vases."

Learn more:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/art/how-to-make-hikaru-dorodango-mud-ball?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#SolarpunkSunday #Japan #WorkingWithNature #ArtByHumans #MeditativeArt #MoreMudTime #LessScreenTime #ChildhoodDevelopment #Calming #Creative

Forest creek running through stones covered in moss

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