Kumihimo in Action

While still not well-known

outside Japan, kumihimo has

been enjoying a revival due to

the efforts of masters like Tada

Makiko and even in movies like

Your Name (2016), which showed

several traditional tools and

examples of braids and their

uses in rituals, temples, and in

clothing. Watch the video to learn some terms and get a glimpse of the traditional way of braiding.

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Tada's experience of studying braid structure gives her an

intimate and intuitive knowledge of how kumihimo is braided. Besides developing modern tools, she has used her expertise to harness technology to braid on machines. See one of her designs in this video.