Twelve Days of Kitsune
- The First Day of Kitsune – a folk tale
- The Second Day of Kitsune — Shift Your Shape with a Kitsune Costume
- The Third Day of Kitsune – Wordless Wednesday kitsune images
- The Fourth Day of Kitsune – the Brief History and Use of Chopsticks
- The Fifth Day of Kitsune — Dining with the Daimyou
- The Sixth Day of Kitsune — On Kimono & Japanese Clothing
- The Seventh Day of Kitsune – Where Are They Now? Part 1
- The Eighth Day of Kitsune – Where Are They Now? Part 2
- The Ninth Day of Kitsune — A Period Playlist
- The Tenth Day of Kitsune — Using Furoshiki to Wrap Gifts
- The Eleventh Day of Kitsune – the Kitsune Code of Conduct
- The Twelfth Day of Kitsune – Mizuhiki
Arriving early to give a panel on Japanese folklore, I found Emilia (author of our guest post on kimono) teaching a workshop on tying mizuhiki. A perfect follow-up to the post on furoshiki; you can now decorate your traditionally-wrapped packages as well!
What is mizuhiki?
Mizuhiki is an art of decorative knot-tying. This style dates to the early Edo period — well after the time of Kitsune-Tsuki, but an important part of Japanese culture today. But in earlier times, colored hemp cord was used to bind poetry books and gift boxes, and Kaede-dono or Tsurugu-sama might well have tied such things.
Now cords are made of rice paper, usually brightly colored, and they are a traditional and elegant way of decorating gifts.
Choose mizuhiki cord according to color and finish; foil and silk varieties are available. Knots can be fairly simple or very complex!
My Attempt at Misuhiki
Emilia was kind enough to talk me though a basic mizuhiki knot, and I had it recorded to share with you — but unfortunately the video file was corrupted, to my great frustration! I’ve tried two different recovery software, without luck.
Still, I do have some photos.
These cords are foil-wrapped. Isn’t this lovely?
This type of knot is traditionally attached to packaged with the ends (neatly snipped) pointing up. Now you’re ready to show off on all your gifts!
I was not familiar with that style of knot, but they are lovely! Congrats to you for learning to make one, and thanks to Emilia for demonstrating others.