Kumihimo: A Practical Guide to Japanese Braiding
I've been tying katanas with silk cords for about a decade now. The work is repetitive, the materials are cheap, and the results are deceptively simple looking until you actually try to make one yourself. This is what I've learned about doing it correctly. Kumihimo is a Japanese method of braiding that uses a disk or frame with notches around the edge. Threads are wound around the notches and moved in a specific order to produce flat or round cords. The most common form is the 8-thread disk braid, which creates a flat, woven-looking cord. A 16-thread disk produces a round cord. There are dozens of patterns beyond these two. The technique is ancient. Samurai used it for sword ties. It was also used for decorative cords on kimono. The disk itself is a simple circle with evenly spaced slits. You buy one for about $5, or you can cut your own out of foam board or cardboard. A wooden disk with plastic notches lasts longer. The thread matters a lot more than the tool. I usually use silk or cotton embroidery floss for fine work, and nylon or rayon for things that need to hold a shape.
Here is how you set it up. Take an 8-slit disk. Divide your threads into four groups of two. Place each pair opposite the slit — one on each side. Number the slits 1 through 8 around the disk. Thread group A goes in slits 1 and 2, group B in slits 3 and 4, group C in 5 and 6, group D in 7 and 8. The basic move is simple: pick up the thread closest to you on the right side, move it to the left, then pick up the thread closest to you on the left and move it to the right. Keep going around the disk in that order. Your cord grows downward from the center hole. I know that sounds straightforward. It is not. The first problem you hit is that the threads don't want to stay in their slots. They slide out, cross over each other, and your neat little cord suddenly looks like a tangled mess. I solved this by adding small rubber bands around each pair of threads right at the notch. They cost almost nothing and they hold the threads in place while you work. It also keeps the tension even between the pairs. The second problem is tension control. If you pull too hard on one side, the cord twists. If you don't pull enough, it gets loose and wavy. What I do is set up a simple weight system. I tie a small weight to the end of the working cord and let it hang freely. This keeps consistent downward tension without me having to think about it. Takes about 30 seconds to rig. The weight should be roughly the weight of a standard ballpoint pen.
For beginners, I recommend starting with a single-color cord before you try anything with multiple colors. It takes about 20 minutes to make a 12-inch flat cord if you are new to this. Once you have the rhythm down, it goes much faster. The rhythm is the hardest part. Your hands want to move in a complicated pattern at first. After about 30 minutes of practice, your fingers figure it out on their own. I have never met someone who could do this perfectly on the first try. There is one thing about 8-thread disk braiding that trips people up. The resulting cord is flat, not round. If you need a round cord, you have to use 12 or 16 threads, or you have to flatten the 8-thread cord by weaving it with a different technique. An 8-thread flat cord is useful for things like sword ties and decorative borders. A round 16-thread cord is what you use for jewelry and belt cords. Do not confuse the two. When I worked on a restoration project last year, I ran into a problem with silk thread splitting as I braided. The silk was old and brittle from age. Rather than replacing it with modern silk, which would look wrong, I dipped the threads in a very dilute solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) before braiding. It stiffened the threads just enough to prevent splitting without changing the look or feel. The treated silk braided cleanly and dried to a firm finish. This is not something you need for new thread, but it is worth knowing if you are working with antique materials.
Get the Full Details
Finishing the ends is where most people make mistakes. You cannot just leave the threads loose. They will unravel over time. The cleanest method is to apply a small amount of clear nail polish or textile glue to the cut ends, then fold them back under the cord and weave them in. For nylon or synthetic threads, you can also melt the ends with a lighter. A quick pass gives a clean seal. Cotton and silk do not melt, so glue is your only option. The color placement matters more than you might think. If you are making a multi-colored cord, lay out your threads in the order you want before you start braiding. Write it down. Even if you think you will remember, you will not. I once spent three hours trying to figure out why my stripe pattern was wrong. It turned out I had placed the colors in the wrong order on the disk. The braid itself was perfect. The design was just shifted by two positions. There are limits to what kumihimo can do. It is not good for very thick threads. If your thread is thicker than size 50 embroidery floss, the disk notches will wear down quickly and the braid will look uneven. It is also slow for large-scale production. A single 12-inch cord takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on thickness and skill level. If you need five cords of the same design, factor in at least three hours of work. Machine-made braids look similar but they lack the tight, even weave that hand braiding produces. The difference is noticeable when you hold them up to the light.
For thicker applications, consider rope braiding or macrame instead. These methods handle bulky materials better and produce stronger results for functional uses like bag straps or belt loops. Kumihimo excels at fine, decorative work. It is not the right tool for heavy-duty projects. Resources for downloading patterns and instruction sheets are available through the Japan Art Silk Cord Society and several independent craft sites. The BGA (Braiders Guild of America) also maintains a library of disk patterns that you can print and use. Many of the older patterns are free. A few charge a small fee for more complex designs. The main patterns you will want to start with are the maru (round) braid using 16 threads, the tai no ho (box braid) using 8 threads, and the himizu (plain braid) which is the simplest of all. Once you master those three, the rest follow a logical progression. Each new pattern builds on the same basic movement. The only difference is which threads you pick up and where you put them.
I keep a small stack of finished cords on my desk for reference. Each one is a different pattern I have made. When I am unsure about a new design, I look at the closest matching finished piece and work backward to figure out the thread placement. It saves time compared to trying to calculate the pattern from scratch every time.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Threads crossing over each other at the notches. Keep each pair contained within its own notch. Use the rubber band trick I mentioned earlier. Tension inconsistency. Let the weight do the work. Do not pull the cord as you braid. The weight keeps it taut. Wrong color sequence. Write it down before you start. Even a simple four-color stripe needs a notes.
Unraveling ends. Seal them properly. Glue for natural fibers, melt for synthetics. Never leave raw ends hanging. Using thread that is too thick. Stick to sizes 50 or thinner for disk braiding. Thicker threads belong on a different type of loom.
What You Need to Get Started
An 8-slit or 16-slit braiding disk. Foam board works as a substitute. A spool of silk or cotton thread in your chosen color. Small rubber bands or thread anchors. A pair of sharp scissors. A small weight for tension. Clear nail polish or textile glue for finishing. About an hour of uninterrupted time to learn the rhythm. The total cost for everything is under $20. The disk alone costs about $5. Thread runs $2 to $4 per spool. The rest is household items you probably already have. I have found that most people quit after the first cord because it does not look like the picture they saw online. It looks messy and uneven. This is normal. The first three cords you make will all look slightly wrong. By the fourth or fifth, they start looking right. Do not stop at cord number one.
The satisfaction comes after the initial frustration passes. When you finish a cord that is even, tight, and the right color, it feels like you have earned something. It is a small thing, but it is real. That is why people keep coming back to it.
