3 Class Projects
It takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour hour(s) to complete each project.
Celebration chopsticks
Pochi bag
Lunar New Year Decorations
Do you know “Mizuhiki”?
The first thing that comes to mind is “mizuhiki,” which is wrapped in a gold seal used for celebrations such as weddings. This material, which looks like a wire, is actually “paper.” Roll the paper into a sticky shape, draw glue, color it with paint, or wrap it around with thread, film, etc. It is said that the name “mizuhiki” came from the manufacturing method of “drawing water paste.”
The origin dates back to the Aska period, and red and white hemp strings are tied as return gifts from the Sui Dynasty brought back by Japanese envoys to the Sui Dynasty, and it is said that they spread to Japan from there (there are various theories). At first, mizuhiki was tied to a gift to the Imperial Court, but in the Muromachi period samurai culture, white paper, and mizuhiki began to be used as gifts, and it became a widely common culture.
“Drawing” mizuhiki indicates that it is unopened, that it is pure, and it is a characteristic Japanese gift-giving etiquette where you can feel the compassion for the other person. Various colors and knots were created in the Edo period, and three-dimensional mizuhiki crafts were born in the Taisho period, and along with mizuhiki manners for gifts, gorgeous and beautiful knots and crafts have been handed down to the present day.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have put various prayers and thoughts into “bonding.” A beautiful knot that calms the mind and ties makes you feel refreshed by itself. The culture of mizuhiki, which connects one by one with all their thoughts, may be a traditional culture born only because Japanese people have done their best to be respectful and value connections between people. I really like that mindless tying time and beautiful, clean knots.
Class Summary
- You will learn the most basic way to handle and tie mizuhiki.
- You can make mizuhiki items that can be used not only during the year-end and New Year holidays, but also for festivals, celebrations of milestones in life, etc.
- You can use mizuhiki in various situations in your daily life, such as tying it as a gift, making accessories, or decorating it as an interior decoration.
This Class Is For
- Beginners who are new to mizuhiki
- People who have experienced mizuhiki who are self-taught but want to relearn the basics properly
- Those who are interested in handicrafts
- Those who are interested in Japanese culture
- Those who are interested in table coordination for Halle's Day
Things to consider before attending the course
This class runs from October to December, and new items will be published every month.
The theme for October is”It will be “congratulatory chopsticks”.
Next, November is pochi bags, and DecemberCelebration decorationsIt will be released.
Class Highlights
① Original design and original kit that can only be made with CLASS101
This class consists of an original design limited to CLASS101, and a kit is also prepared in an original set made just for this course.
In normal mizuhiki zaiku, several other tools are required, such as tools and wires, etc., but it is structured so that any person, including beginners, can create a curriculum that is easier to challenge, so there is no need for any special tools at all. The main point of this course is that if you have mizubiki materials and paper, you can complete it with only what you have at home, it is highly reproducible, and once you learn it, you can make it many times.
② Mizuhiki items designed to fit modern lifestyles
Using the traditional “knots” of mizuhiki, which has been passed down since ancient times, you can make mizuhiki decorations with a modern design that you can easily incorporate into your current lifestyle.
The theme for October is “Celebration Chopsticks.” In addition to the basic handling of mizuhiki and the knot “awaji knot,” I will teach you how to make practical items, such as decorative knots that connect from there, and how to fold “congratulatory chopstick wraps” that you can use in your daily life even after class.
Curriculum
Creator
Anna Tanaka
I have been interested in traditional culture and handicrafts since I was young, and I was attracted to the beauty of mizubiki materials I met in spring 2017 and the depth of knots, so I started creative activities. His books include “Mizuhiki Recipes Connecting Lifestyles, Events, and Hare Day” (2018 Graphic Company), “Decorations for the Twenty-Four Seasons Connected by Mizuhiki” (2019 Nitto Shoin Headquarters), “Mizuhiki Recipes to Color Food, Clothing, and Shelter” (2021 Graphic Company), and “Adult Fashionable Notebook Special Edited Mizuhiki Ornament Book to Enjoy Life” (2021 Takarajimasha).
Shortly after the activities began, they launched their own brand [hare (hare)] and developed mizuhiki miscellaneous goods, mizuhiki trinkets, and mizuhiki knotting classes. While working as a lecturer in product design and mizuhiki classes, he has worked on artwork for corporate promotional materials, product development, corporate advertisements, magazines, etc., and is active in a wide range of activities.
While conveying and expressing Japan's wonderful handicrafts, traditional culture, and customs and annual events born from the four seasons and people's activities with mizuhiki designs that are close to the current lifestyle, they carry out activities every day so that “mizuhiki” can be incorporated naturally into our lives in any era, so that it can be connected to future generations.
[Creator Interview]
Q. How did you get into mizuhiki?
A mizuhiki handicraft book I found by chance at a stationery store while I was on childcare leave for my first child. That was my encounter with Mizuhiki.
At that time, I was a company employee as a sales employee at an advertising agency, and while I was on parental leave after giving birth to my first child who will be 6 years old this year, I found a book of mizuhiki at a stationery store where I stopped by to find a hobby I could do at home. I think the reason I was first attracted to mizuhiki was that I originally liked making things and had dexterous hands, and that I was interested in Japanese culture and traditions from an early age.
Around the same time, my son's “The Beginning of Eating (100th Day Celebration)” was just around the corner, and I somehow thought about making mizuhiki decorations for that celebration seat, so I tried making chopstick wraps for the whole family, food decorations, etc. in mizuhiki. At that time, I came into contact with the hare seat convention, the way of thinking and various meanings of Japanese culture behind it, and the feeling that “Japanese culture is interesting, I want to know it more deeply,” which led me to decide to try mizuhiki in earnest afterwards.
Q. Please tell me why you offered online classes with CLASS101.
I thought it would be nice if we could explore what we can do online, including classrooms, according to the modern lifestyle exposed to the novel coronavirus, so many people from all over the country, including students in face-to-face classrooms in Tokyo, enjoyed the “Mizuhiki Musubi Learning from the Basics and Making Seasonal Works to Color Our Lives,” which was previously offered in class 101.
I also have such an experience, and I would like more people to know the appeal of mizuhiki not only in Tokyo, where I usually teach face-to-face, but also all over Japan, and in the future, to people outside of Japan as a wonderful hospitality culture in Japan. Also, I wanted mizuhiki to become a traditional culture that can be incorporated into our daily lives in any era, which is why we offered online classes.
Q. What kind of experiences do you want the students to have through this class? Also, please give a word to the students!
Beginners can learn from the basics of the basics, and experienced people can learn tips for tying beautiful knots.
I hope you enjoy making mizuhiki items that make Halle Day, which always passes through annual events and milestones in life, more gorgeous, and at the same time learn about “mizuhiki,” which is Japanese culture, and think about the meaning of important events in Japan.
Also, I would like to be able to provide a rich and meaningful time to take a breath from the hectic days and concentrate while feeling the comfort and fun of tying, and the depth of knots.
__harenohi
