Japanese name江戸つまみ簪
In Tokyo wards such as Taito, Arakawa and Sumida, small squares of habutae silk are pinched with tweezers, placed on a backing and shaped into flowers, birds, butterflies and phoenixes for kimono occasions.
Information last updated 128 days ago
Edo tsumami kanzashi begins with habutae silk cut into small squares. With tweezers, artisans pinch and fold each piece into forms such as maru-tsumami and kaku-tsumami, place the pieces on a backing, then shape chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, butterflies and phoenixes with gokuten thread. Its main production areas include the Tokyo wards of Taito, Arakawa and Sumida. At New Year, Shichi-Go-San, Jusan-mairi, coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings, the ornament appears with kimono, bringing Tokyo hair-ornament work, thin silk and life-event dress into one object worn in the hair.
The place boundary of Edo tsumami kanzashi is concrete: Taito, Arakawa, Sumida and other Tokyo wards are named as main manufacturing areas. The Tokyo Hair Ornament Manufacturing Cooperative is also tied to the craft, with a related facility listed in Taito, Kojima. The name points to kanzashi produced in Tokyo and made through the pinching-and-folding process, so the object can be read through its city, producer community and method rather than as a generic floral hair ornament.
The material base is habutae silk. The cloth is cut into squares on a cutting board with tools such as a cutting knife and wooden ruler; wooden parts use boxwood, pear, magnolia or materials of comparable quality. Before any chrysanthemum or butterfly appears, the craft is a set of tangible materials: thin silk for folded petals, wood for structural parts and a square format that gives each tiny folded piece its starting shape.
The word tsumami is grounded in the action of pinching. Artisans use tweezers to handle the square silk pieces, choosing techniques such as maru-tsumami, kaku-tsumami, suji-tsumami and uragaeshi-tsumami. Maru-tsumami gives a softer impression, while kaku-tsumami creates a stronger outline. The folded pieces are placed on a backing with tweezers, then the assembled form is adjusted with gokuten thread, turning flat silk into raised petals, wings and bird forms.
Named motifs include chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, butterflies and phoenixes. Their form comes from the number, position and folding of small silk pieces, rather than from a separately molded flower. A Bunsei-period passage in Morisada Manko describes women wearing kanzashi made from colored cloth pieces shaped as chrysanthemums and cranes, giving historical texture to the sight of folded cloth becoming flowers and birds in the hair.
Edo tsumami kanzashi is still described through occasions when kimono is worn. New Year, Shichi-Go-San, Jusan-mairi, coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings all appear as settings for the ornament. Here, tradition means a specific practice: silk flowers and birds placed in the hair, kimono worn for a named rite or celebration, and a Tokyo-made hair ornament used when clothing marks a family or personal milestone.
The craft’s development is described as beginning after a flower-petal kanzashi technique from Kyoto reached Edo in the early Edo period. By the middle of the Edo period, related objects such as combs, kanzashi and kusudama were appreciated as Edo souvenirs. That account connects the folded-silk method to an urban craft setting, while today’s production areas in Taito, Arakawa, Sumida and other Tokyo wards keep the name anchored in the city.
Edo tsumami kanzashi holds attention because its making can be followed at close range: a square of habutae silk, tweezers, a fold, a backing and thread, then a chrysanthemum, plum blossom, butterfly or phoenix. The Tokyo wards give the craft its local frame, and the kimono occasions give it a living setting in the hair.
Compiled from public records and official sources; see the recognition links below. Details may change over time.
Where this product is officially registered, designated, or recognized in Japan.
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Sources1
It is written as 江戸つまみ簪 in Japanese. Search Rakuten and other Japanese sites with that spelling — the English name will not bring up the listings.
Edo tsumami kanzashi is a Tokyo hair-ornament craft with main production areas including Taito, Arakawa and Sumida. It uses habutae silk cut into squares, pinched and folded with tweezers into techniques such as maru-tsumami and kaku-tsumami, then placed on a backing and shaped with gokuten thread into motifs such as chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, butterflies and phoenixes.
Morisada Manko records a Bunsei-period account of women wearing kanzashi shaped like chrysanthemums and cranes made from colored cloth. The name reflects the process of pinching and folding square habutae silk pieces with tweezers. Named techniques include maru-tsumami, kaku-tsumami, suji-tsumami and uragaeshi-tsumami. Maru-tsumami gives a softer impression, while kaku-tsumami creates a stronger outline.
It is worn with kimono at events such as New Year, Shichi-Go-San, Jusan-mairi, coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings.
Naturally dyed textiles shed some colour on first wash. Hand-wash separately with a neutral detergent, avoid long soaking and bleach, and dry in the shade to prevent fading. Silk, ramie, and traditionally dyed pieces often need professional cleaning — the care label on the listing takes precedence.
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