Mizuhiki

Traditional Japanese paper artform using stiffened rice paper cord

Mizuhiki (水引, lit. 'water-pull') is an ancient Japanese artform of knot-tying, most commonly used to decorate envelopes, called kinpū, which are given as gifts during holidays like Japanese New Year (and are then called otoshidama) or for special occasions such as births and weddings (shūgi-bukuro) or funerals (kōden-bukuro).^[1]^[2] The colour of the cord depends on the occasion, or may signify the religious denomination of the giver at funerals.^[3]

The stiff rice paper cord that is used, also called mizuhiki,^{[citation needed]} is created by twisting lengths of rice paper together tightly, before starching them for strength and stiffness, and colouring them with mylar or thin strands of silk, or simply by painting the cord.

The art of mizuhiki dates back to Japan's Asuka period, during which an envoy from the Sui dynasty brought gifts embellished with red and white hemp strings.^[2]

Other forms of mizuhiki include using the cord to create paper jewellery, or creating three-dimensional art with different forms used for different auspicious meanings; cranes, frogs, fish, dragons and turtles are amongst the most popular.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, the Modern Mizuhiki Association was founded in Tokyo.^[2]

References

^ Yajima, Yoshika (January 31, 2021). "近現代日本における水引に関する記憶の系譜" [Tracing the Memory of Mizuhiki in Modern and Contemporary Japan] (PDF). Journal of the Japan Society of Design (in Japanese). 77: 37–51. ISSN 0910-1578. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Masangkay, May (December 26, 2021). ""Mizuhiki" Japanese knot-tying giving connection to cultural heritage". Kyodo News. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^ "Shugi bukuro Envelopes". traditionalkyoto.com. Traditional Kyoto. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mizuhiki.

Mizuhiki (Tsuda Mizuhiki Orikata)

Knots

By type

Bends	Adjustable Albright special Ashley's Alpine butterfly Basket weave Beer Blood Carrick Double fisherman's Fisherman's Flemish Grief Halyard Harness Heaving line Hunter's Nail One-sided overhand Racking Sheet Shoelace Shroud Simple Simon under Single carrick Surgeon's Surgeon's loop Triple fisherman's True lover's Water Zeppelin
Binding	Boa Bottle sling Constrictor Corned beef Granny Ground-line hitch Jamming Miller's Packer's Reef Strangle Thief Transom
Climbing	Autoblock Bachmann Beer Bowline on a bight Alpine butterfly Directional figure eight Double bowline Farmer's loop Figure-eight Figure-eight loop Figure-of-nine loop Friction hitch Klemheist Munter hitch Noose Overhand loop Prusik Trident loop Yosemite bowline
Coils & shanks	Chain sinnet Sheepshank
Decorative	Carrick mat Chinese button Celtic button Diamond Fiador Friendship Ghiordes & Senneh Matthew Walker Turk's head Wall and crown (triple crown knot)
Fishing (angling)	Angler's loop Arbor Bimini twist Blood Fisherman's Improved clinch Knotless Nail Palomar Snell Trilene Triple fisherman's Turle Uni
Hitches	Adjustable grip Anchor bend Axle Bachmann Bale sling Barrel Becket Blackwall Blake's Boom Buntline Cat's paw Clove Cow Distel Double overhand noose Falconer's Farrimond friction Friction hitch Garda Ground-line Half Halter Highpoint Highwayman's Hitching tie Icicle Improved clinch Killick Knute Lobster buoy Marlinespike Munter Ossel Pile Pipe Sailor's Snuggle Swing Taut-line Timber Trucker's Tumble
Loop	Angler's Artillery loop Bale sling hitch Bowline Bumper Carrick bend loop Cossack Cowboy bowline Diamond Double bowline Dropper loop Eskimo bowline Fiador Fireman's chair Friendship knot Halter hitch Handcuff Honda Jury mast Overhand Portuguese bowline Rigid double splayed loop in the bight Slippery eight Span Spanish bowline Tom fool's Trident Triple bowline Water bowline Yosemite bowline Zeppelin
Running (slip)	Hangman's Running bowline Running highwayman's hitch Tarbuck
Splices & splicing	Eye Fid Marlinspike Rat-tail T Western Union
Stopper	Ashley's stopper Button Double overhand Monkey's fist Overhand Stevedore
Whipping	Common Overhand knot with draw-loop Portuguese Sailmaker's West Country

Lists of knots
Related topics

Lists of knots	Bends Bindings Decorative knots Hitches (friction) Mathematical
Related topics	Chinese knotting Density History International Guild of Knot Tyers Macramé Mizuhiki Norigae Ropework Lashing Splicing Seizing Sennit