Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform and craftwork for making braids and cords. In the past, kumihimo decorations were used as accessories for kimono as well as samurai armor. Japanese Braiding, as Kumihomi is sometimes known in english, is also associiated with Shinto rituals and religious services. Literally meaning "gathered threads", kumihimo are made by interlacing reels of yarn, commonly silk, with the use of traditional, specialised looms – either a marudai or a takadai (高台).