mizuhiki

{{short description|Traditional Japanese paper artform using stiffened rice paper cord}}

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File:KekkonMizuhiki.jpg}}, commonly given as a gift at weddings.]]

{{nihongo3|{{lit|water-pull}}|水引|Mizuhiki}} is an ancient Japanese artform of knot-tying, most commonly used to decorate envelopes, called {{transl|ja|kinpū}}, which are given as gifts during holidays like Japanese New Year (and are then called {{transl|ja|otoshidama}}) or for special occasions such as births and weddings ({{transl|ja|shūgi-bukuro}}) or funerals ({{transl|ja|kōden-bukuro}}).{{cite journal |last1=Yajima |first1=Yoshika |title=近現代日本における水引に関する記憶の系譜 |journal=Journal of the Japan Society of Design |date=January 31, 2021 |volume=77 |pages=37{{endash}}51 |url=https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/78322/jjsd77_037.pdf |access-date=7 March 2022 |trans-title=Tracing the Memory of Mizuhiki in Modern and Contemporary Japan |language=Japanese |issn=0910-1578}}{{cite news |last1=Masangkay |first1=May |title="Mizuhiki" Japanese knot-tying giving connection to cultural heritage |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/12/eebc8b549025-feature-mizuhiki-japanese-knot-tying-giving-connection-to-cultural-heritage.html |access-date=7 March 2022 |agency=Kyodo News |date=December 26, 2021}} The colour of the cord depends on the occasion, or may signify the religious denomination of the giver at funerals.{{cite web |title=Shugi bukuro Envelopes |url=https://traditionalkyoto.com/shopping/shugibukuro-envelopes/ |website=traditionalkyoto.com |publisher=Traditional Kyoto |access-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210829175722/https://traditionalkyoto.com/shopping/shugibukuro-envelopes/ |archive-date=29 August 2021 |url-status=live }}

The stiff rice paper cord that is used, also called {{transl|ja|mizuhiki}},{{cn|date=March 2022}} is created by twisting lengths of rice paper together tightly, before starching them for strength and stiffness, and colouring them with mylar or thin strands of silk, or simply by painting the cord.

The art of {{transl|ja|mizuhiki}} dates back to Japan's Asuka period, during which an envoy from the Sui dynasty brought gifts embellished with red and white hemp strings.

File:Bonsai aus Geschenkschnürchen makffm.jpg

Other forms of {{transl|ja|mizuhiki}} include using the cord to create paper jewellery, or creating three-dimensional art with different forms used for different auspicious meanings; cranes, frogs, fish, dragons and turtles are amongst the most popular.{{cn|date=March 2022}}

In 2019, the Modern Mizuhiki Association was founded in Tokyo.