In eager anticipation of its latest intriguing installation, &ASIAN stopped by Japan House London to learn about the centuries-old Japanese silk braiding craft of kumihimo, produced by DOMYO. At the exhibition, one learns that kumihimo literally translates to ‘joining threads together’, a concept that the gallery takes to heart in curating and connecting the many themes within the technique.
The exhibition is separated into three basic sections: history, structure and future. Video monitors along a wall display the consecutive methods that are undertaken to hand-dye, prepare, and braid the kumihimo threads. The craftsmens’ precise care and the value of their hands are highlighted in these videos, emphasising the human touch that machines can never replicate.
&ASIAN spoke briefly to Dōmyō Kiichiroō, the 10th-generation CEO of DOMYO, who touched upon his thoughts on the importance of craftsmanship. He feels that amongst the rise of fast fashion, kumihimo has become more mass-produced in factories, and consequently is in competition with his business. While factory-made kumihimo is quicker to produce, those that are handmade are superior in all other aspects: the quality of which will give the pieces decades of life. The work of a masterful human, whose subtle hand movements precisely determine the outcome of the product, prevails over the automated limits of a machine.
A master of kumihimo kindly gave demonstrations using the two common braiding apparatuses: takudai and marudai. Her fingers danced gracefully around the frames, as if she was playing an instrument, accompanied by the rhythm created by the tama (bobbin) gently hitting the wood after every addition.
There are many ways to become immersed in the world of kumihimo besides simply observing. Japan House is offering workshops where visitors will get the opportunity to try their hand at silk braiding themselves, a wonderfully interactive opportunity to get an intimate feel of what these craftsmen put immense amounts of time and care into. Taste is also a sense that can be used to experience kumihimo with its own inspired cocktail, available exclusively at Japan House’s own AKIRA restaurant.
The producers spoke about their goals for this exhibition, and how one of their bigger challenges was to transform the blank canvas of the gallery floor into an exciting exhibition that showcased kumihimo to its fullest extent. Kumihimo is a silk braiding technique with uses in art and practicality, and not a simple object that can be showcased properly in one form. Therefore, the producers did well to bring it out in as many ways as possible: every corner of the exhibition floor is covered in silk threads, woven through every column in the room from top to bottom, forming beautiful weblike patterns that stretch out above the visitors’ heads.
The History of Kumihimo takes one through the origins and many varying uses of these silk threaded cords, from the belts on kimonos and armour to aeroplane mechanics. A central table displays a timeline of exhibits, pinpointing its multinational roots and gradually expanding into the evolution of its typical appearance and uses.
Extrapolating from the past, The Future of Kumihimo then imagines how it will aid in future innovations through some wonderful artists’ creations, including garment modellist Hasegawa Akira’s fascinating works in reinventing 19th-century European attire, and Tachi Lab researchers’ application of complex geometry to create new structures of kumihimo and expand its utilisation.
With close observation, viewers will notice the structures of these beautiful cords are compact and precise, but you’ll soon learn that the life of these silk strands begins in a chaos of colour before they are entwined neatly to perfection; these transformative stages of the strands’ lives are moved along by the craftsmens’ hands. One could compare the strands on the frame to the strings of an instrument, and the kumihimo to a finished melody. And similarly to a classic piece of music, kumihimo techniques have stood the test of time, and will certainly continue into our unknown futures.
