This hairpin is made in the traditional Tsumami Kanzashi method in rayon chiramen from Japan. Each petal and leaf is formed separately from a square of fabric. The petals are red and white. The center is made from vintage stamens. The hairpin is silver plated. Flower measures about 1" across.

This hair ornament is made in the “Tsumami Kanzashi” method - literally folded flower hair stick”, Tsumami Kanzashi are made from small squares of fabric which are folded into petals. Kanzashi is a very old Japanese art form which was first used around 1000 BC. This is when some of the first predecessors of the modern Japanese hair comb began to appear.    Kanzashi came into wide use during the Edo Period (1603-1867) when hairstyles became larger and more complicated, using large number of ornaments. These hair ornaments were used by Geisha.