Decorative strings mizuhiki
Mizuhiki 水引, paper strings used for wrapping gifts. Paper cut into long strips is first rolled into strings, which are then starched in water and dried in the sun. Dry strings are painted red, white, gold or silver. For joyous occasions (wedding, birth of a child, etc.), an odd number of strings must be used for the ceremonial decoration of a wrapped gift, while an even number of strings is used on a sad occasion (e.g. funeral). The mizuhiki in Alma Karlin’s collection consists of five strings, which means that it was a gift for the New Year or some other festive event. The colours of the individual strings are faded, but we see gold and dark red in places. The knot that is usually tied at the top of a wrapped gift has been preserved. Mizuhiki were used as early as the Muromachi period (1336–1573) in place of plain ribbons for decoration when wrapping gifts. (CSB)
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