Tsumami zaiku

Real work of precision and patience, tsumami zaiku consists of folding small squares of fabric using pliers and forming petals, then assembled to form flowers and animals.

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"Tsumami" (not tsunami) means pinch and fold, and "zaiku" craft

 

An ancestral Japanese technique dating back to 1785, tsumami zaiku was invented by Lord Yasuteru, by cutting his wife's kimono and invented the two main techniques: maru-tsumami (round petal) and ken-tsumami (pointed petal).

 

He then made sage-kusudama, a decoration originally made of fresh flowers on a bamboo sphere, and presented them to Emperor Gomomozono, later adorning the Imperial Palace with them.

 

Court women later began to practice the technique, which evolved into kanzashi (hair ornaments), and spread across Japan.

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Tsumami zaiku is today mostly seen on maiko, apprentice geisha, who wear different hana kanzashi based on the seasons.

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