ornamental scent bag; herb ball
Traditional decorative ball filled with fragrant herbs or incense, often hung during seasonal festivals like the Boy's Festival (端午の節句).
There is a custom of hanging kusudama under the eaves for the Boy's Festival.
party ball; confetti ball; piñata-like decoration
Modern celebratory decoration: a large paper ball that splits open to release confetti, streamers, or balloons. Common at store openings, weddings, and sports victory ceremonies.
The moment the victory was decided, the kusudama split open and confetti fluttered down.
At the opening ceremony of the new store, a large kusudama was cracked open.
A small cloth sachet of fragrance worn on the person, whereas くす玉 is a larger hanging decoration.
Confetti; often released from a くす玉, but can be thrown by hand.
opening a decorative ball filled with confetti, streamers, etc. at a celebration
Most common spelling. The first part is usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling for the traditional scent bag; 薬 means 'medicine' or 'herb'.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for the party decoration.
Ateji spelling; rarely used.
Originally from 薬玉 (kusudama), a ball of medicinal herbs hung to ward off evil. The modern party decoration evolved from this traditional form.