This is a Matsumoto Temari ball made by my grandmother. Please understand that this is a handmade item and has been stored at home before purchasing. Please check the photos. Size: Medium 9-10cm Matsumoto has various specialties nurtured by the skills of artisans, the culture of the common people, and the unique climate and natural features that developed as a historic castle town. However, some fields have been affected by mass-produced products due to the trends of the times. With the recent promotion of slow living, the genuine quality and warmth of handmade items are in demand. "Matsumoto Temari" is a traditional handicraft whose techniques have been passed down since ancient times. It has been loved and cherished by people from the Edo period to the present day, through the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras. "Matsumoto Temari" is said to have been favored by successive lords of Matsumoto Castle, and its manufacturing method has been passed down since the mid-Edo period around 1750. There is a "mari-tsuki uta" (ball-bouncing song) that has been passed down for about two hundred years, which goes, "The turtle born last night... wakes up early this morning..." In the old days, young daughters of samurai families in the Matsumoto domain were said to have bounced temari balls while singing this "mari-tsuki uta" on the paths lined with earthen storehouses. Also, according to one theory, it is said that the daughters of the samurai began making them to support their household finances. It became popular not only in samurai families but also in general households, and was enjoyed as a toy for children from the Edo period to the Meiji period.