The Japanese name, "tombodama" (recently also presented as "tonbodama"), was first popularized by a book that was released in the early 1980s. It was in Japanese, but included some English captions. Unfortunately, these were most-often confusing—since they said things like "Roman beads from the 19th century" (this being internally self-contradictory). The name is most-often presented in Englisg as "dragonfly eyes."

And most tombodama were decorated with mosaic-glass appliques, rather than being trailed.

I would be inclined to think the beads you are showing are recent Chinese beads—and that they have been misrepresented to you as "Japanese tombodama." This is all-too-common.

Nevertheless, in viewing your photo, I think the long tapered white beads (on the right), are the most-like the beads we are discussing. However, their shapes are different, in having blunt ends and large perforations. (More consistent with Chinese beads.) The in-question beads have well-rounded and melted ends, and small perforations. And, in that, they look more like Japanese beads. (Or even the European beads that inspired the Japanese beads.)

So, if the beads you show are indeed recent Chinese beads (as I have remarked), they are the self-same beads I discussed with the owner some ten days ago. And are not pertinent to the quest for recognition.

But I thiank you for taking the the time to suggest all this. Jamey