During the period from the Meiji to Taisho eras when most braid shops were mechanized, Domyo Shinbei 6th generation stubbornly protected the braiding by craftsmen.assemble
In the world, there are three typical techniques for processing fibers together. It is weaving, knitting, and braiding. Each of these has a different essential structure. Knitting is a bundle of threads running diagonally, folded back at the ends, and extending endlessly in a zigzag pattern. The cords created by braiding are called Kumihimo. The interlacing of threads creates beautiful braids.
assembling
It's endless repetitive work. At the same rhythm, with the same care, we create a homogeneous cord from beginning to end. Rainy days, windy days, happy days, bad days, you have to keep assembling every day. In particular, distractions greatly affect the workmanship of strings. It is important to be mindless.
Being hand-dyed
Thread dyeing is the first step in making braids. All colored threads are dyed one by one by craftsmen in Domyo.
This makes it possible to create braids by freely combining countless colors. With monochromatic Kumihimo, it is important to be able to express the beauty of that single color clearly and with depth.
With multi-colored Kumihimo, the subtle differences in hue and saturation of each color have a large impact on the overall impression, so the relationship between colors is important. The first step in making a good braid is to be able to dye it in a beautiful and appropriate color.
to be hands-on
Hand-braided braids have elasticity and texture that machine-made braids do not have. This is possible only because our skilled craftsmen know everything about how to apply force and how to control the subtleties through their own experience. The cords made by machines using monotonous force adjustment are far from the complicated and delicate cords made by hand by craftsmen. The individuality of each craftsman can be seen in hand braided braids. No two pieces are the same, even if the same braiding method or thread is used.
how beautiful
There are hundreds of ways to braid braids, but they can be broadly classified into flat braids, which are thin and wide, and square braids, which have a rounded and thick cross section. Also, even with the same type of braid, the delicacy of the kumihimo will be completely different depending on the hand (the number of threads attached to each ball) and the size of the number of balls. If you increase the number of hands and decrease the number of balls, you can braid it quickly without much effort, but it will be a large and rough structure.
Furthermore, the design of Kumihimo changes in various ways depending on the hue, number of colors, and pattern placement (the order in which the threads are arranged). We spend a lot of effort to find the best combination and placement from countless colors.