Japan's Mizuhiki & Ceremonial Cords

About this book

A Japanese gift speaks before it is opened — in the colour, the count and the knot of the stiffened paper cord tied across it. This is the complete English guide to mizuhiki: 200 entries in eight parts, from the cord itself (paper cores, silk and metallic wraps, sizing and stiffness) through the full knot vocabulary (butterfly bows, the once-only musubi-kiri, abalone, plum, pine, tortoise and crane), the grammar of colour, count and grade (red-and-white celebration, black-and-white mourning, gold and silver, and why cords are counted three, five, seven, ten), the envelope culture of shūgi-bukuro, noshi and fukusa, the life calendar from birth gifts to condolence, the makers and regions led by Iida, the cord's modern life as art and accessory, and a practical handbook that teaches the foundation knots step by step. Colour meanings and etiquette are given as living custom — where regions, schools and households differ, the book says so instead of inventing a single law. For travellers facing a Japanese wedding or gift counter, for crafters who want to tie the knots themselves, and for anyone who has ever wondered what the red-and-white cord on an envelope is actually saying.