OBJECTS

Knucklebones, marbles, worry beads, fidget spinners... we have always had objects to play with.

Now they are called Sensory Toys, and some say they assist learning and focus by offering your body a sensory distraction. Or that that fiddling and fidgeting with them can help to relieve anxiety or stress.

And indeed, it’s true that focussing on solving a simple problem with your hands and feeling the sensation in your fingertips, can redirect your focus away from your scattered thoughts. Think about the old-school skills of knitting or whittling. Although these days we are more likely to be playing Tetris on our phones than crafting.

NETSUKE

“You feel you just have to pick them up... they tumble in your hands.”

— Edmund de Waal

Let’s go to Japan, back in the 1600s. This is before pockets had been invented and Japanese men needed a place to store their personal belongings — pipes, tobacco, money, seals or medicines. So, they put these objects in small containers hung by cords from the sash of …