Arakawa's Artisans
Arakawa Ward Traditional Crafts Preservation Society
Artisanal Skills Still Passed Down Today in Arakawa
Artisanal Skills Still Passed Down Today in Arakawa
Hibiki
Cutting
to pinch
Fuku
Finishing
hairpin
Tsumami kanzashi is a technique in which ha-ni-ji (a type of silk fabric) is pinched with tweezers to form flower petals, which are then assembled.
Artisans in Arakawa create kanzashi for Shichi-Go-San, Coming-of-Age ceremonies, and wedding attire changes, as well as accessories such as brooches, combs, earrings, and corsages, and miniature kanzashi for Japanese dolls. Furthermore, the themes of tsumami-zaiku have expanded beyond traditional auspicious motifs associated with celebratory occasions—such as pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms, or cranes—to include a wide variety of plants and animals.
The Work of an Artisan
The Process of Making Tsumami Kanzashi- [Cutting] Using a fabric shears, a ruler, and a cutting board, stack the triple-folded habutae fabric in two layers (12 layers total), wrap the edges in newspaper, and cut it into strips. Wrapping it in newspaper prevents the fabric from wrinkling during cutting. Next, while measuring with a ruler, carefully cut the fabric into small pieces with scissors to the required size (typically 1 sun square; up to 3 sun; 3 bu for dolls).
- [Applying paste to the board] Spread the paste evenly over the board to place the “tsumami-kata.”
- [Pinch] Using tweezers, pinch the habutae fabric. The basic pinching techniques are the “sword pinch,” which creates a narrow, pointed tip, and the “round pinch,” which creates a rounded shape. Other techniques include the “round-pressed pinch” and the “modified sword pinch,” which was devised by my predecessor. Arrange the pinched pieces on a board. Leave them in this state for about an hour.
- [Fuku] Using tweezers, place each “pinched piece” one by one onto a backing sheet with wire attached to create decorations such as flowers.
- [Assembly] Wrap the wire section with Gokuten, attach decorations such as feathers and the base, and assemble it into a hairpin.
- [Finishing] Shape the dough while paying attention to balance.