Japanese Dorodango Balls

Japanese Dorodango Balls

Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate shiny sphere, resembling a billiard ball.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorodango

I found these a few months ago at a large estate sale. It was the estate of an antique dealer who operated in the late 60s to early 70s. Of the things that we bought there, the range seem to be from 1800 to about 1960s.

These were in the bottom of a box with other miscellaneous items. When I first saw them I thought they were civil war cannon balls. Once I picked them up I quickly realized they were not metal. Next I was thinking that they were fake fruit, but that thought quickly changed. I bought them anyway thinking that they were something special.

I was doing research and stumbled across the dorodango information.

Both spheres show signs of a shiny exterior. But they look like they were exposed to direct sunlight or the elements on 1/2 of their bodies. They're larger than some I've seen but they can be made in any size. And they are not perfectly round anymore. My theory is they are old and were exposed to harsh elements and possibly shrunk some?