Kumihimo is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese form of braid

Braid

A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...

-making. Cords and ribbons are made by interlacing strands.

History

Kumihimo cord was first created by a form of finger-loop braiding

Fingerloop braid

Fingerloop braiding is a technique of making sturdy, and decorative, cords from threads. It is a type of braiding known as loop manipulation...

. Later tools such as the marudai

Marudai

A is a frame used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. The Japanese style marudai is 16" high and is usually used while kneeling or when placed on a table. The Western style 26" marudai allows the braider to sit in a chair to braid. They are most commonly made out of wood, although...

 and the takadai

Takadai

A takadai , also called kōdai, is a frame used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. The braids created on the takadai are flat as opposed to the braids created on the marudai which have a round or polygonal section. The threads are attached to weighted bobbins called tamas and lay on...

 were employed to make more complex braids in shorter time. The most prominent historical use of the cords was by samurai as both a functional and decorative way to lace their lamellar armour

Lamellar armour

Lamellar armour was one of three early body armour types made from armour plates. The other two types are scale armour and laminar armour.-Description:...

 and their horses' armor (barding

Barding

Barding is armour for horses. During the late Middle Ages as armour protection for knights became more effective, their mounts became targets...

). Kumihimo cords are now used as ties on haori jackets and obijimes, which are used for tying on an obi

Obi

Obi may refer to:* Obi , a sash worn with a kimono or with the uniforms used by practitioners of Japanese martial arts* Obi-Wan Kenobi, fictional character from the Star Wars universe...

 (kimono sash).

A modern kumihimo disk made of firm but flexible foam plastic with notches can also be used as a portable marudai. The disks have 32 notches that create the tension that is usually created by tama on a marudai. The disks are convenient but are not as versatile as the marudai. On a marudai, any thickness or amount of string can be used, but on a disk only 32 or fewer strand braids can be made. Also, marudai can make many types of braids, such as flat, four sided, and hollow. There are also rectangular foam cards, especially suitable for making flat braids.

Kumihimo for beginners

There are a number of ways that beaders and braiders can begin kumihimo braiding. The foam kumihimo disk is lightweight, portable, and significantly more affordable than the traditional marudai. Braiders can create complex braids up to 24 bobbins and incorporate beads. There are many sizes and shapes of foam disks available. Look for a disk that is sturdy and doesn't bend easily, otherwise the braider will experience uneven tension. Foam disks also have the added benefit of numbered slits, making it easy to learn using "braid by number" instructions.

The kumihimo rating system

Kumihimo braids vary in difficulty; however, most can be accomplished with the right tools and instructions at hand. There are generally three difficulty levels: K1 (beginner), K2 (intermediate) and K3 (expert).

Related terms

• Kagami
  Kagami
  The word "Kagami" means mirror in Japanese.Kagami can refer to:* Kagami, Kōchi was a town located in the former Kami District, Kochi, Japan.* Kagami, Kōchi was a village located in Tosa District, Kochi, Japan.* Kagami mochi...
  
   – the top braiding surface on a marudai; Japanese for "mirror."
• Kongō Gumi
  Kongo Gumi
  is a Japanese construction company and was the world's oldest continuously ongoing independent company, operating for over 1,400 years until it was absorbed as a subsidiary of another larger construction company...
  
   – a class of patterns for round cord all involving eight threads folded in half for a total of sixteen strands. In clockwise order, each bobbin is moved to the opposite side. When different combinations of thread color are used, many interesting patterns emerge, including diagonal stripes, diamonds on a background, triangles resembling hearts, and tiny six-petalled flowers.
• Marudai
  Marudai
  A is a frame used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. The Japanese style marudai is 16" high and is usually used while kneeling or when placed on a table. The Western style 26" marudai allows the braider to sit in a chair to braid. They are most commonly made out of wood, although...
  
   or maru dai – the frame for the braiding; "maru dai" Japanese for "round stand."
• Obi
  Obi (sash)
  is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono...
  
   – the broad cloth sash used in traditional dress; a kumihimo belt, called the obijime, is tied around the obi.
• Obijime – the cord used to bind the obi secure.
• Takadai
  Takadai
  A takadai , also called kōdai, is a frame used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. The braids created on the takadai are flat as opposed to the braids created on the marudai which have a round or polygonal section. The threads are attached to weighted bobbins called tamas and lay on...
  
   – a rectangular or square frame for creating flat kumihimo, as opposed to the round kumihimo made by the marudai.
• Tama
  Tama
  -Religion:* Tama , part of the soul in the Japanese Shinto faith, roughly equivalent to ghost, spirit, or soul* Tama , a votive deposit or ex-voto used in the Eastern Orthodox Churches...
  
   – bobbin
  Bobbin
  A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment....
  
  s. The thread is kept from unwinding by passing the thread under itself, forming a loop around the tama. True silk is a hollow fiber with a rough surface that resists slipping past the loop unless gently pulled. For synthetic fibers, a flexible plastic "clamshell" bobbin may be preferable.

External links

• Information on braidershand.com
• Talzhemir's introductory handouts, in .PDF format, including Kongo Gumi and a pattern for a notched cardboard wheel
• Eight strand hollow braid over a core
• Information on HowToKumihimo.com
• Background information on history, tools, techniques at www.whatiskumihimo.com
• Kumihimo To Go for additional "braid by number" books and supplies for braiding with beads.