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Products Made With Mizuhiki (Kawanoe City, Iyomishima City)
Mizuhiki, a Fine Art With its Origins in the Hair Tying Paper
Cord of the Edo Era (1603-1867)
The origins of Ehime's mizuhiki can be found in the motoyui (paper
cord for tying the hair into a topknot - the common hairstyle for males
of the Edo Era.) With the coming of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the need
for motoyui decreased, and by the end of the Meiji Era, the skills for
making motoyui were developed into skills for the fine art of mizuhiki
and products made using mizuhiki. Dying the paper cords, a process
called kogi, is regarded as the most difficult part of mizuhiki making
and is done only by craftsmen with years of experience. Mizuhiki crafts
born from the fine skills of such experienced craftsmen are often enjoyed
as ornaments and souvenirs.
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