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TOKYO ARTISAN

組紐

Kumihimo

[Kumihimo]

Braided Cords

Kumihimo is a form of Japanese braid-making where multiple strands of silk are interlaced in a regular pattern. The craft was imported to Japan from mainland Asia alongside Buddhism, and served a variety of ornamental and practical uses as braiding techniques developed over time—from ceremonial court dress in the aristocratic era, to samurai armor during the samurai era. Today kumihimo chiefly take the form of obijime, a decorative cord used to hold kimono sashes—which had gradually grown wider over the centuries—securely in place. Edo Kumihimo are known for being easy to tie due to their relative elasticity, and are characterized by their chic color patterns epitomizing the urbane stylishness of Edo (old Tokyo).

Kumihimo Craftsman

Takashi Fukuda

プロフィール
1963 Mannosuke Fukuda (father) establishes RYUKOBO
1998 Appointed Vice President of Tokyo Gofuku Senmon Shosha Doyukai (Tokyo Association of Kimono Specialty Trading Companies) Youth Association
2009 Assumed position of CEO at Ryukobo
2011 Appointed Vice President of Edo Kumihimo Itoyoshikai (Association of Edo Kumihimo Artisans)
2015 Recognized as a Traditional Craftsman of Tokyo

RYUKOBO is an atelier specializing in designing, dyeing, and braiding obijime and obiage. Fukuda works with his second son Ryuta and nephew Shigeki Hayashi to spread the kumihimo tradition while promoting domestic production of cocoons and raw silk.

インタビュー

創業前から120年以上にわたり、江戸組紐を作り続けている「龍工房」。工房に入ると、江戸組紐の象徴である「丸台」で作業するカランコロンという心地よい音が聞こえてきます。丸台の上板に空いた穴から、糸玉の位置を置き換えて締めることを繰り返し、組紐を組み下げていきます。「上板のことを“鏡”と呼ぶんです。職人の心が組紐に映し出されてしまうんですね」と話すのは、2代目で伝統工芸士の福田隆さんです。「龍工房」の帯締めは、茶人や文化人から愛されてきました。「機械組みが粗悪なわけではありません。ただ手組みは、わずかに寄りをかけたりかけなかったりと、繊細な対応ができるんです。それが美しさや締め心地のよさにつながっているんですね」。
そんな組紐を若い人にも気軽に楽しんでほしいと、3代目の息子・隆太さんと開発した「組紐ブレスレット」も好評です。「伝統工芸士になってから、情報を発信するのも義務だと考えるようになりました。それによってみなさんに興味をもってもらえたらいいですね」

Interview

RYUKOBO has been making Edo Kumihimo for over 120 years. Step into the studio and you’ll hear the gentle, rhythmic clacking of the marudai, or round braiding stand, being used. “The top surface is called a kagami, or mirror. A craftsman’s soul is invariably reflected in the kumihimo,” says the atelier’s second-generation head and traditional craftsman Takashi Fukuda. Ryukobo’s obijime have enjoyed a devoted following over the years among tea ceremony masters and intellectuals. “It’s not that machine-braided kumihimo are inferior in terms of quality. But braiding by hand allows you to be much more delicate, adding a slight twist here, or untwisting it a little bit there. These subtle touches are what create the cord’s comfortable, natural fit and its sublime beauty.”
Seeking a way to make the kumihimo tradition more accessible and enjoyable to the younger generation, Fukuda and his son—and third-generation head in training—Ryuta designed the “Kumihimo Bracelet”, which has been a big hit among customers. “Since I was designated as a Traditional Craftsman, I’ve come to consider becoming an ambassador for our craft as part of my job. Hopefully I can turn some heads with what I do.”


RYUKOBO

龍工房

/ Shop Information :

Adress : 4-11, Nihombashitomizawa-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo


/ Telephone :
03-3664-2031


/ Website :
http://ryukobo.jp/index.html