“Hikaru Dorodango” translates from Japanese to English as “shiny dumpling”, a fitting phrase considering the craft was popularized in America by Adam Savage polishing a turd on the culturally significant Mythbusters - further stoking children’s innate desire to play in the mud.
Dorodango are extremely simple when broken down to their physical elements: dirt, water, and more dirt. However, the process of plucking a fistful of mud and forming a brilliant sphere is filled with nuance, it truly is an art that requires the ability to abstract with a honed focus. It may come as little surprise that dorodango has roots in the same culture as the zen garden, for they share a similar purpose, to provide a menial task which silences the mind while creating an item with objective beauty.
The process begins with a survey of the land. Dirt, while being extremely abundant, is available in a vast variety of compositions and these unique properties have a substantial effect on the final product. While the usual prospector searches for earth that exhibits the preferred physical characteristics, there is an opportunity to create these spectacular spheres from any dirt - including that of a location with sentimental value, allowing the creation of a unique keepsake formed by caring hands.
Molding a sphere with no obtuse features is a deceptively difficult task, it takes planetary structures an unimaginable amount of time to constrict themselves into the orbs we recognize, and still they are covered in crusty blemishes. Sculpting the initial mud ball provides a unique opportunity to clear one's mind of clutter while conjuring form from the formless.
As the initial mud ball begins to dry, the opportunity to add a sheen arises. The traditional method involves rubbing a fine powdered dirt repeatedly over the surface with bare hands, slowly exposing a glossy exterior. Over the past few years a variety of new methods have been popularized that include microfiber cloths and glass jars to achieve a shine faster, however it could be argued that these methods undermine one of the main purposes of the craft - to repeat a menial task and clear one’s mind - and thus while providing a shiny end-result, ignores a poignant dimension of the objective beauty.
Summoning the polish is a delicate process, for any scratches risk becoming permanent. There’s also the risk of over-polishing, causing lesions to form and flake as if infected by leprosy. Not every dorodango can or will achieve a brilliant sheen, much is dependent on the previous steps - most importantly the selection of material. A finished dorodango that achieves even the slightest shine will reflect the creator’s joy as they ponder the quiet beauty they struck from filth.
Images by Bruce Gardner via dorodango.com