This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
At the heart of Yamashita's work is the belief that traditional culture should be shared beyond borders. Guided by a philosophy of shifting from "Made in Japan" to "Roots in Japan," she sees global interaction as a way to preserve tsumami zaiku while helping it evolve. Through her workshops and classes, she has introduced the craft to more than 500 international participants from 30 countries, some of whom are now taking the techniques in exciting new directions.
Unlike many traditional Japanese craft experiences, tsumami zaiku is simple enough that even children as young as four can enjoy Yamashita's workshops. She likens the craft to "origami with fabric," noting that it requires only a small space and a few simple tools, and that participants can leave with a finished piece.
According to Yamashita, it also aligns with the Japanese concept of wa, promoting harmony and peaceful coexistence. "By carefully using fabric without waste and patiently working through each step, tsumami zaiku embodies a mindset of valuing objects and resources," she explains. "It also expresses the beauty of nature through seasonal motifs, and reflects a spirit of appreciating nature while looking inward at one's own heart."
Yamashita herself is a relative newcomer to the craft. She spent several years in the United States as a child, where she developed an interest in Japan's relationship with the rest of the world. Later, while writing columns about Japanese culture for international audiences for her job, she became increasingly aware of the challenges facing traditional crafts. "Due to changes in society, many traditions have been fading away, and there are issues such as a lack of successors among artisans," she says.
After years of thinking about how she could help support such traditions beyond Japan, Yamashita had what she describes as "a fateful encounter" in 2015. She happened to stop by a traditional craft fair at a Tokyo department store, where she picked up a flyer for a specialty tsumami zaiku business. When she visited their shop the following day, she was inspired by the president's passion for traditional crafts. "I had an immediate, instinctive feeling: 'This is it!'" she recalls.
Yamashita began learning the technique for tsumami zaiku from scratch, and her activities eventually developed into Knot Japan. Asked whether the name relates to a knot of hair worn on top of the head and decorated with tsumami kanzashi, she shakes her head and smiles. "Actually, I had come up with this name for a future business well before I heard about tsumami zaiku. For me, 'knot' refers to bringing people of different cultures together."
In 2019, she launched her own website, Tsumami Kanzashi, with the aim of providing easy-to-access English information on the history and culture of the hair ornaments and the tsumami zaiku technique. She also shares articles about events or people with a connection to the craft.
She now teaches the craft to inbound tourists, international students and residents of Japan in Asakusabashi, as well as at occasional campus events. In order to accommodate a wide range of needs, she also offers online classes, which began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yamashita does not advertise her workshops on third-party platforms, so all her customers come directly through her website. Some are tourists simply looking for a hands-on activity between sightseeing, while others plan their trip to Japan specifically to attend. "Tsumami zaiku appeals to many people: those who like kimono, appreciate handicrafts, love making things or want to collaborate with their own art," she says.
To support those eager to develop a higher level of skill, Yamashita offers courses that pass on the techniques of Tomura Kinuyo, a respected tsumami zaiku artisan from Tokyo's Arakawa City. She has also established a teaching certification program, which 10 people outside Japan have completed so far. "These overseas artists have become certified instructors, and are holding workshops and selling creations in their own countries, helping spread the culture further," she says proudly.
She believes tsumami zaiku has great potential to evolve beyond kanzashi, expanding into accessories, interior décor and artwork. In turn, she hopes that growing interest from outside Japan will spark renewed appreciation among young Japanese, too.
One of the hardest aspects of Yamashita's journey was getting precise information about tsumami zaiku, because the craft has long been passed down through apprenticeship, leaving few written records. She consulted with artisans and studied a historical text from the early 20th century in order to grasp the fundamentals and pass on accurate details to her international audience.
"The technique of tsumami zaiku is thought to have originated in Kyoto, where an artisan is said to have used scraps from his wife's kimono and glue to create delicate fabric flowers," she notes. Perhaps surprisingly, however, Tokyo went on to become the main center of production. Drawing on "Edo," the city's former name, Edo Tsumami Kanzashi was certified as a Tokyo-designated traditional craft by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1982.
As Yamashita points out, however, Edo Tsumami Kanzashi has not yet been certified as one of Japan's National Traditional Craft Products—a carefully regulated group of cherished items overseen by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Edo Tsumami Kanzashi easily meets 4 out of the 5 requirements for certification: items primarily used in daily life; key elements made by hand; produced using techniques that have continued for over 100 years; made with materials that have been used for over 100 years.
The challenge lies in the fifth requirement, which states that the production area must maintain a "certain scale"; as a general rule, at least 10 companies and/or 30 people, which is not possible with the current number of artisans in Tokyo. Moreover, the production area—in this case, Tokyo—must take the initiative to apply for recognition. Yamashita would like to see more flexibility in the system in future, in order to better support traditional crafts and artisans.
She considers Tokyo the ideal place to take tsumami zaiku forward while honoring its heritage. "The aesthetic sense and techniques passed down from Edo still live on in everyday life here. At the same time, Tokyo is also very open to new expressions and overseas perspectives," she explains. "It's a place where history and modernity, local and global, coexist. I feel Tokyo is uniquely suited to connecting tsumami kanzashi with the wider world."
