The display of fine Japanese hair ornaments at Tsumami-Kanzashi Museum in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward illustrates a small world of plums, cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, chestnuts, bees and phoenixes created with pieces of colorful silk.
The showcase is placed at the entrance to a workplace where craftsmen Tsuyoshi Ishida, his father, Kenji, and brother, Takashi, are producing the hairpins daily.
"Tsumami-kanzashi," a type of "kanzashi," or traditional Japanese hair ornament, stands out in its delicate features, which are crafted by pinching 1-sq.-cm pieces of dyed silk with tweezers to turn them into the shape of flower petals, leaves, and even traditional motifs like flower wagons and treasure boats.