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.