It's funny that on the way over to Japan, we were wondering about this group and if there would be a way for us to get in contact with them! There were not enough books for us to be able to take them home in our suitcases but they followed not long after by mail from Ai's bookstore. Ai will try to get more copies of this book and also copies of other books that this group has published. It will probably take some time, however. Unfortunately, their leader recently passed away and Ai is patiently waiting to re-establish contact with the group.
Here's the scoop:
8-1/2" tall by 12"wide, 64 pages, hardback with paper cover, all photos (no diagrams or instructions), full color with stunning photographs of all the temari. Five pages of the book are bios on the contributors. ALL of the temari are what I would call advanced. There are only a few simple divisions and they are very unique. Most are multis or C8s or C10s. Because I collect these books and am very interested in advanced designs, the book was well worth the hefty price. Purchase price in Japan is 5, 000 yen. With shipping and handling fee, you can expect a copy to come to around $100. That is, IF there are more copies to be found. If you would like to have a copy, I suggest you contact Ai through her shop website and ask her to put you on the list. When she gets more copies, you will be one of the first.
Here are a couple more photographs:
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| Unique weaving patterns. |
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| Many temari in the book are multis like this - a collection showing variations on a technique. |
