Oshiro showed me some sample flowers and pointed out that there were two kinds.On a recent trip to Tokyo, I signed up for a 90-minute workshop on that technique, called tsumami zaiku. In the ken tsumami type, the petals have a sharp point — "ken" means sword. The latter technique is harder, so we started with ken.)Modern artisans are creating new types of accessories using the cloth flowers, such as earrings and brooches."At the same time, the basic technique has been taken up by hobbyists and crafters in Japan and elsewhere.

The hairpieces have also had to evolve. Starting with two different-colour fabric triangles laid slightly offset on top of each other, and then using slightly more complex folding magic, you end up with a rounded petal with one colour in the centre and another colour around the edge. First, fold the square in half into a triangle and glue it together at the tip of the triangle. "That’s how the craft still survives and is carried to the next generation. The authentic style consists of two parts, one worn on top and one on the side.Everyone to whom I showed my flowers said, "Wow, you made that?" But there’s a long distance between my adorable little blossoms and the "wow" of tsumami kanzashi hairpieces made by professional artisans.Next, we tried the round-petaled maru technique, which was indeed more difficult and harder to explain in words. (The crafting tradition dates back to Japan’s Edo period, from 1603-1868.I picked out five 4-centimeter squares of two different colours of fabric, and Oshiro demonstrated what to do. Having tried it, though, I can also understand the urge to make them again and again. Then the rest of the petals were added next to those two, alternating colours.

Then, the petals are glued on to this base. But as with many traditional crafts, the number of artisans is dwindling. Organised neatly in compartmentalized boxes, they all fit into a tote bag. It was a bit of a surprise, then, to discover that the basic technique of making their folded cloth flowers was simple enough to learn while sitting at a sidewalk cafe."They work only for the traditional Japanese hairstyle," says Kanawa. Similar, hands-on craft experiences that I’ve done before have always involved going to a studio. To make sure they were arranged evenly, Oshiro showed me how to start with two petals opposite one another, looking kind of like rabbit ears. Maru tsumami petals are rounded — "maru" means round. These are more like wearable works of art, with bunches and cascades of multiple silk flowers. Kanawa says that only those who have been trained by apprenticeship and approved by a certified master are permitted to produce and sell nationally designated traditional crafts, including Edo tsumami kanzashi. Oshiro showed me how to hold the piece of fabric in the middle with a small pair of tweezers and fold it over that, which makes it easier to fold a straight line. Nowadays, however, this prohibition is widely ignored; I stumbled across someone selling them silk taffeta ribbon at a craft fair in Tokyo just a few days later.That’s frustrating to those trying to maintain the craft in the traditional way.

These ornaments are still worn today by women dressed in kimonos for special occasions, or for work such as geisha and traditional performers. In this case, however, instructor Chikako Oshiro met me at a train station and we proceeded to a cafe, where she set the supplies out on the table.It sounds simple, but required dexterity because the pieces are so small..Tokyo: Tsumami kanzashi are Japanese hair ornaments that were worn by geisha and young daughters of the nobility in a tradition dating back hundreds of years.Finally, I chose a small decorative bead for the centre, glued the flower onto a hair clip, and it was done.

Then fold again and glue again; do it one more time, and you’ve got your first petal. Currently, there are only two certified masters accredited by the Japanese government living in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, says Kuniko Kanawa, a professional Edo tsumami kanzashi artisan who lives in Maryland. They’re complex and gorgeous, and the craft is officially recognised by the government.Once I had completed 10 petals, the next step was to cover a round piece of cardboard with matching fabric to make a base.

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