HISTORY150 - Kumihimo: Japanese Braiding
A few blogs ago, I wrote about (the history of) knitting, an artform that Pat is really good at. Another artform that Pat excels at is kumihimo, Japanese braiding. Here is another subject, as close as I’ve been to seeing Pat practice it, that I know very little about. So, this blog will document “The History of Kumihimo.” The History of Kumihimo After an introduction, I will talk about kumihimo’s early roots, kumihimo’s evolution through Japanese history, the specialized looms required, how kumihimo today has turned into a popular craft activity (including some examples from Pat’s recent work), and finally, the future of kumihimo. As usual, I will list my principal sources at the end. Introduction Kumihimo is the traditional Japanese art of braiding threads into structurally complex cords. Spanning over 1,400 years of innovation, its development reflects the shif...