Kiichiro

Japan is home to the art of braiding known as kumihimo, which got its start in the Asuka and Nara Periods, continuing to the present day. With the use of multicolored threads, a single kumihimo cord takes quite some time to produce, yet has never played a leading role in the world of traditional handicrafts. Rather it served as an essential decoration, an accessory that adds a splash of color to Japanese culture.

By the Edo period, the main use for the kumihimo was as a means of holding the scabbard of a sword tightly to the waist. The cords are nearly the same length as the obijiime, used to affix the obi onto a kimono.  For this reason, the kumihimo styles used for this purposes were transformed, and new methods of production were born.

Established in 1652, Domyo was founded by a samurai retainer from the Echigo area who laid down his sword to open a business.  By the middle of the Edo period, the prospects for samurai were poor in comparison with the merchant class, and out of economic necessity, the production of kumihimo often became a side job for extra income, allowing their techniques to be to be passed on.

With the national ban on swords in the Meiji period, the customary demand for kumihimo as sword straps and wrapping for sword hilts all but vanished, and producers shifted focus to making braided masterpieces which became synonymous with the obijime.  At this time, 6th generation Domyo Shinbei began to study the historic kumihimo preserved at Nara’s Shosoin.  Thus, his work as a kumihimo producer led to an increasing numbers of requests from museums and Buddhist temples all over the country, in order to restore important cultural treasures.

Domyo also sought to have kumihimo seen as a traditional Japanese craft in its own right, as opposed to something ancillary to other handicrafts.  Besides obijime, they crafted items like cords for ceremonial purposes, and even western-style neckties and various accessories.

Tenth generation head, Kiichirō studied architectural design while a student, and later ran a design office. At the same time, he helped with the braiding work, coming to understand the craftsmanship of making things by hand. He felt there was something he could do to help the company, which was going through difficult times due to an aging workforce and a shortage of craftsmen.  Since joining the family business, he has been seeking to capture the colors, composition, and material of beautiful paintings and crafts, both Western and Western, into kumi-himo.

In their training of craftsmen and the development of braiding classes, Domyo aims to increase the number of people who maintain traditional techniques. They are also combining different materials such as metal and leather, and exploring new uses. Maintaining traditional techniques and developing new technologies are the two pillars of their work, and they feel obliged to pursue both without being biased towards either.