Kumihimo

Kumihimo is a traditional braiding technique that is over 1500 years old. Kumihimo braids originated in the Japanese Culture. These complex braids were created for Samurai garments, kimono belts and other elaborate decorations. The Victorians also used this technique in an interesting application of “hairwork” or mourning jewelry. Human hair of loved ones or the deceased were used to make intricate braid forms. I became fascinated by the endless possibilities of this technique and have applied it my recent work. Kumihimo, like weaving consists of strands of fiber that are woven/braided in a circular fashion. A kumihimo braid set-up of a colored silk is pictured on a traditional Maridai braiding stand.