IGA编织的绳索 /眼镜绳

KUMIHIMO HIRAI

"Enthusiasm that you will be able to do it will create a good flow."

Having married into his wife's family business, he did not have the mindset that he "had to" do crafting, but that he would do it if he decided to do it. When it comes to crafting, you can move forward by overcoming one by one what you cannot do in front of you. I also believe that it is important to have the mindset of believing that you can definitely do the things that you cannot do.

ARTISAN STORY

Kumihimo Hirai / Michitaka Hirai A craftsman with an unusual background, he became a system engineer after graduating from university before assuming the position of the fifth generation of Kumihimo Hirai. We are developing unprecedented products in the hope that more customers will use our products. We hope you will enjoy our product development in line with modern needs.

IGA KUMIHIMO / IGA BRAIDED CORD

About 1,300 years ago / 700s / Nara Period (710–794)

Braiding techniques reached Japan with Buddhist culture and were used by the Nara period for sutra bindings, ceremonial robes and court dress. In the warrior age, demand grew for sword cords and armor lacing. Iga later refined these techniques and became especially important as a modern production center for obijime, the cords used to secure kimono sashes.

For Japanese people, kumihimo is most familiar as an elegant but functional part of kimono dress. Color combinations can express season and formality, while contemporary makers now apply the same structures to bracelets, straps, bag handles and other accessories.

What looks like a simple cord can be astonishingly complex. Anywhere from a handful to dozens of threads cross in strict sequences to create flat, round or square sections. In recent years the word kumihimo itself has become internationally familiar through film and popular culture, inspiring craft enthusiasts far beyond Japan.