Beautifully made in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan, the craft of Iida Mizuhiki is the art of twisting fine corded washi paper into cleverly designed knots and shapes.
Awaji-dama is the Mizuhiki decoration used for the head of these beautiful sewing pins.
The knot, even though made of paper, cannot be cut or untied easily so it symbolises strength. It may fade, discolour or deform due to water wetting, rubbing, humidity or exposure to ultra-violet rays so care is needed in their use.
Mizuhiki is used for formal gifts and comes from as far back as the 7th century in Japan.
The steel and nickel pins are manufactured in Hiroshima, an area with a proud history of 300 years of needle making. The pins are sharp and pierce fabric easily.
