by Inigo del Castillo in New Art on Friday 20 December 2013

Temari, meaning ‘hand ball’ in Japanese, are embroidered toy balls constructed from remnants of old kimonos. It’s a folk art form that originated in China and introduced to Japan in 7th century AD. These were often given to children as gifts by their elders on New Year’s Day as the balls symbolize loyalty and true friendship.

Creating a Temari ball is hard work and takes a lot of skill and practice to create a truly beautiful design. That’s why it’s so impressive to see Flickr user NanaAkua’s photos of her 92-year old Japanese grandmother’s 500 unique and amazing Temari designs. Can you imagine making one of these intricate balls with the poor eyesight and the shaky fingers of a 90-year old? Pretty awesome feat. The grandmother started making the balls in her 60s, but has quickly become a master at the art form. She also teaches Temari to students weekly.

With more seniors like her being productive at that age, I guess we can say 92 is the new 40?

Via This Is Colossal