Page 19 - Lydia Chen - The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting

01 Chinese Knts inA nct (09-16) rp08 5/30/08 5:58 PM Page 16

A wall hanging made of flat knots and rolling knots, Korean examples by Kim Ju-shen.
courtesy of Tanaka Toshiko.
In his book Japanese Gift Wraps, Sekishima Noboru expounded that the
Japanese tradition of tying knots, hanamusubi (hana means “flower” and musubi
“knot”) was, in fact, a legacy from China’s Tang Dynasty. This occurred in the
seventh century when the Japanese Emperor, impressed with the elegance and
practicality of the reed and white jute cord knots used to tie a gift from the
Chinese, encouraged his people to adopt the same practice. However, the
Japanese knots that developed as a result tend to be comparatively austere and
formal, perhaps because of the constraints in Japanese tradition and the overall
Japanese aesthetic. Up to this day, Japanese knots are still fairly simple and struc-
turally loose and are more decorative than practical in function. They are embed-
A stunning knot encircling a bead by Lydia Chen. ded in everyday activities such as wrapping. The use of numerous colors and
diverse types of cord are particular Japanese characteristics.
Closely related to Chinese knotting is maedup or Korean knotting. As with
Japanese knots, it is believed that Korean knotting techniques originated from
China. According to the late Kim Ju-shen, one-time president of the Korean
Handicraft Association, historical data about Korean knots is grossly lacking and
their origin and use in ancient times is unclear although it appears that they are
based on Chinese antecedents. However, Korean knots have evolved into a rich
culture of their own in terms of design and color and the incorporation of local
characterstics. The main differences between Chinese and Korean knots are the
proportion of tassel to knot (much longer tassels are used in Korean knots), the
type of cord used (Koreans favor round braided cord), and color (Koreans tend
towards the five primary colors of red, yellow, green, blue and black and often use
all five in a single knot).
Unlike Chinese knots, Western knots, the best known ones being the two-
dimensional flat knot and curled knot, are very simple and repetitive – almost
monotonous. Not a great deal of skill is needed to tie them. Moreover, they are
neither particularly decorative nor useful for tying objects. Since there is little skill
involved in Western knotting, any outstanding example that is produced must
have a unique design and an intricate blend of colors and materials.

16 THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHINESE KNOTTING