Glossary of Braiding Terms. Periods in Japanese History CONTACT INFORMATION. History of Kumihimo: Complex braids in Period Japan

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1 History of Kumihimo: Complex braids in Period Japan Pennsic XLI Instructor: Fujinami no Kaede-hime July-Augusty, 2011 Glossary of Braiding Terms Ayadashi: a stiff, flat cloth braid made on the takadai. Ayatakedai : bamboo stand, square stand with bamboo or wooden prongs in front; creates flat braids Dai: a stand, or braiding loom. Hera: Sword or the beater used to shove threads into place while braiding on the takadai. hira-dama: light weight flat bobbins, traditionally wrapped with paper, used with the karakumidai. Hirao: Long, wide braided sashes worn by the top most court ranks Hishi: classic diamond pattern typical of Heian Karakumi. Koma: blocks of wood with pegs on them that can move on the takadai. Kakudai: a square stand similar to the marudai only the braid is suspended from a hook instead of hanging down from the center of the disk, creates round or square hollow braids. Karakumidai: a square braiding loom with wooden pegs; creates flat braids Kikko: a hexagonal pattern based on the tortoise shell that was popular among the samurai for both sword belts and wraps for their sword hilts as it symbolized a long life Kumihimo: braided cord or, literally, gathered threads, and refers to a wide range of Japanese braiding techniques. Marudai: round stand, round braiding stand, sometimes with one end square for easier flat braids, with a hole in the center that the braid goes down; creates all shapes of braids, and both solid and flat braids Sageo: Braided sword belts Tama: The weighted spools or bobbins used with most dai Takadai,: high stand which has moveable pegs on the sides for holding the bobbins; creates flat braids and is capable of creating the most complex braids of the dai. Periods in Japanese History Jomon BCE Yayoi periods CE Kofun period AD) Nara Heian Period Kamakura Period Muromachi Period Sengoku Period: Commonly called the Warrings States Period, a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan Azuchi-Momoyama Period Edo Period Meiji Period Showa Period Heisei Present CONTACT INFORMATION fujinami.no.kaede@gmail.com

2 Finishing Braids: Begining and Ending Kumihimo braids Pennsic XLI Instructor: Fujinami no Kaede-hime Aug 4, 2012 Kumihimo is the art of Japanese complex braiding. It covers a wide variety of techniques that ranges from finger loop braiding to braiding on elaborate square looms with moving pegs. The earliest forms of the braids appeared well before the SCA period. The Chinese heavily influenced the style of early period braids, but by the 8 th and 9 th centuries the Japanese had converted them into something distinctly Japanese The braids have to be secured or they will unravel. There are a number of ways the braids were finished but I will talk mostly about two types of endings. Some braids, used to hang items like mirrors or sewn onto Haori as closures, often have one end that is a loop. The other end is usually a tassel. Round and square braids in general end in tassels. Flat braids have a wider range of ways to finish them which I won t go into here. For the Tassel End: Braiding Terms Dai: a stand, or braiding loom. Kumihimo: braided cord or, literally, gathered threads, and refers to a wide range of Japanese braiding techniques. Marudai: round stand, round braiding stand, sometimes with one end square for easier flat braids, with a hole in the center that the braid goes down; creates all shapes of braids, and both solid and flat braids Tama: The weighted spools or bobbins used with most dai Select Resources: Makiko, T. (2004). Comprehensive Treatise of Braids I: Maru-dai Braids. Tokyo, Texte, Inc. e CONTACT INFORMATION Owen, R. (1995). Braids: 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru & Beyond. Loveland, Colorado, Interweave Press, Inc. Owen, R. (2004). Making Kumihimo: Japanese Interlace Braids. East Sussex, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. fujinami.no.kaede@gmail.com

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4 Basic Kumihimo Pennsic XLI Instructor: Fujinami no Kaede-hime Aug 4, 2012 Kumihimo is the art of Japanese complex braiding. It covers a wide variety of techniques that ranges from finger loop braiding to braiding on elaborate square looms with moving pegs. The earliest forms of the braids appeared well before the SCA period. The Chinese heavily influenced the style of early period braids, but by the 8 th and 9 th centuries the Japanese had converted them into something distinctly Japanese. The most familiar form of kumihimo is done on the Marudai, or round stand, which is the most recent version of the kumihimo braiding looms and the one that has the most flexibility in terms of braids it can produce. Traditionally, stranded silk was wound onto lead-filled wooden bobbins called tama. The loose end was gathered together and threaded through the hole in the center of the top of disk. A counterweight, in a bag, was hung from the other end. Today, braids can be done on a foam disk instead, which can be more convenient when braiding away from home. Braiding Materials While very early braids were made from a variety of materials, including hemp and linen, in SCA period and indeed up until the 20 th century kumihimo has been made only from stranded silk. Silk however, is very expensive. Most of the braids I have made have used stranded cotton instead. I have one braid made from satin, which is beautiful and similar to silk in appearance but is difficult to work because it s so slippery. Tencel is another option that looks and feels like silk but is much less expensive. You can also experiment with braiding. I ve seen gorgeous braids made using beads, fuzzy yarn, eye lash or other novelty yarns, etc. Feel free to explore texture as well as color; have fun with your braiding. Note on Tension Tension in kumihimo is traditionally done by the weight of the bobbins balanced by the counterweight. Heavier bobbins/counterweight means a tighter tension. However, when using a foam disk the tension is mostly done by how tightly you pull the thread before sliding it into the slot. Try to be consistent to get a more even pattern. Braid Ends: Braid ends are either tassels or loops, depending on how the braids were meant to be used. The ends are wrapped. CONTACT INFORMATION Braiding Terms Dai: a stand, or braiding loom. Kumihimo: braided cord or, literally, gathered threads, and refers to a wide range of Japanese braiding techniques. Marudai: round stand, round braiding stand, sometimes with one end square for easier flat braids, with a hole in the center that the braid goes down; creates all shapes of braids, and both solid and flat braids Tama: The weighted spools or bobbins used with most dai Select Resources: Makiko, T. (2004). Comprehensive Treatise of Braids I: Maru-dai Braids. Tokyo, Texte, Inc. Owen, R. (1995). Braids: 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru & Beyond. Loveland, Colorado, Interweave Press, Inc. Owen, R. (2004). Making Kumihimo: Japanese Interlace Braids. East Sussex, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. fujinami.no.kaede@gmail.com

5 Directions for Spiral Round Braid: You should have 8 bobbins, 4 of one color (A) and 4 of the second color (B). For my example here, Red is A and Yellow is B. Gather all the ends together and then fix them into place (I usually tie a knot in the end; you could wrap the end to finish it, use a hair tie or whatever works easiest for you.) Slip the knot through the hole in the middle of the disk and separate out the colors. Slip a thread into the slots as shown here. Attach the counterweight ot the knotted end. To work the braid, bring the A (red) thread to the upper right of the number down to the slot to the right of the two A threads at the bottom. Then bring the left A thread on the bottom to the left of the remaining A thread at the top. Turn the disk counter clockwise. The B (yellow) threads are now going up and down and the red threads are going left/right. As you did with the A threads, bring the B thread to the top right to the right of the bottom three. Then take the left most B thread on the bottom and bring it up to the left of the top B thread. Turn disk counter clockwise. Repeat until braid is desired length.

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