How To Address A Letter In Japanese

a custom that is part of daily life injapan is to decorate gifts or offerings bytying an envelope with a complex knot of colored cords. these paper cords are called mizuhiki. the roots of this custom go back over one thousand years.

How To Address A Letter In Japanese, the solid knot expresses the wish that the links joining giver and recipient will never come untied. extra meaning can be added to these goodwishes by including traditional symbols such as cranes or turtles

signifying long life. today's mizuhiki are tied in a style thatoriginated from the cords knows as motoyui, used to tie up the hair in the dayswhen japanese men wore top knots. the tough paper designed tohold hair firmly is easily twisted into decorative shapes. production of mizuhiki begins withcutting rolls of japanese washi craft paper into thin strips. these strips are spun into long paper strings. nori starch is thenforcefully applied several times to the stretched strings,

adding the stiffness needed for mizuhiki gold, silver, and other metallic foils, aswell as vividly colored dyes are used to express different wishes andmessages. the mizuhiki cord are ironed to soften them so they can beshaped into graceful curves. it was the strength andpliability of the mizuhiki cords that allowed artisans to createcomplex shapes like this crane. "when we thought about thetraditional process, we realized that our unique techniquesof tying paper cords could be adapted to make a range of attractive new products.

starting from the basic traditionaltechnique, they developed special tools and new tying methods to allow more complexthree-dimensional designs. today mizuhikis are used in many new andnon-traditional ways such as for decorating birthday cards and gift wrapping presents. transcending its origins asornamentation for gifts, mizuhiki is now also used for creatingworks of art. this traditional custom can still be seen everywhere in japan but the applications for mizuhiki continue to expand.