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初級
Oharibako — Online Course

The Beginner Course —
Your First Steps into
Tsumami-zaiku

A complete foundation course for absolute beginners. 32 lessons, taught entirely in English by Oharibako's Kyoto artisans — from your very first fold to finished pieces you've made with your own hands. 9 lessons are free to preview.

Since the 1940s · Kyoto

絹に始まり、絹に終わる — It begins with silk, and ends with silk.

Enroll Now — US$399 Watch the Free Lessons
［画像：初級の最終課題＝完成コサージュ（藤下がり付）3:4（主役）］
［画像：制作風景の手元 4:3（重ね）］
技
01 — THE COURSE
［画像：レッスン撮影の手元 or 講座イメージ 4:5］
［画像：完成作品ディテール 4:3（重ね）］

Learn the Real Craft,
Step by Step

This is the complete foundation course — designed for absolute beginners, taught entirely in English, and structured so you can learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll start with the fundamental folds, build through petals and compositions, and finish with a corsage you've made yourself. Everything is taught directly by Oharibako's Kyoto artisans, drawing on over 80 years of workshop practice.

From your very first fold
to a finished piece.

32Lessons Total
9Free to Preview
1Kit, Shipped to You
∞Lifetime Access
02 — Curriculum

The Full 32-Lesson Curriculum

Browse the full 32-lesson curriculum below. Lessons marked ▶ FREE are free to watch right now; lessons marked unlock when you enroll.

Chapter 0

Introduction

7 lessons · all free
01Welcome to Oharibako▶ FREE
Step inside an 80-year-old Kyoto studio and meet your instructor — the owner of Oharibako herself. Discover the hands and story behind everything you are about to learn.
02What Is Tsumami-Zaiku?▶ FREE
Explore the origins of tsumami-zaiku, from its roots in Edo-period Japan to its role in kanzashi culture today. A beautiful introduction to a craft most of the world has yet to discover.
03Checking Your Kit Contents▶ FREE
Let's go through everything in your kit together. If anything is missing, just let us know and we'll send it right out.
04Tools You Will Need▶ FREE
Get to know the essential tools: tweezers, glue, a spatula, and a few more everyday items. Learn where to source them and how the Oharibako starter kit makes things even easier.
05Choosing Your Materials▶ FREE
Not all silk is the same. Discover why Oharibako uses 10-monme habutae silk and starch paste in this course, how fabric weight affects the finished petal, and what makes Kyoto-sourced materials worth seeking out.
06What You Will Make in This Course▶ FREE
From a simple single bloom onward, see the projects that build your skills step by step. By the time you finish, the fundamentals of tsumami-zaiku will be yours.
07Glue-Fold vs. Bond-Fold: What's the Difference?▶ FREE
An overview of the two approaches — the traditional starch-paste fold and the modern craft-glue (bond) fold — and the strengths and trade-offs of each.
Chapter 1

Basic Techniques: Kawari-hana Kanzashi

6 lessons · 2 free
08Making Your Own Ochirin (Base Disc)
The ochirin is the hidden base that holds every flower together. Learn to make your own from scratch — so you can craft anywhere in the world, without relying on hard-to-find parts.
09Applying Glue the Right Way
Every petal begins with glue. Learn to hold the spatula at the correct angle and spread a smooth, even 1 mm layer.
10Maru-Tsumami: The Round Petal Fold▶ FREE
Learn the most fundamental technique in tsumami-zaiku — tweezer angle and position, hand motion, and how to align the edges and apex for a softly rounded petal.
11Ken-Tsumami: The Pointed Petal Fold▶ FREE
Discover how a small change in technique produces a dramatically sharper, more graphic petal. A satisfying contrast to the round fold.
12Assembling Petals onto the Base
Place and secure your petals onto the ochirin to bring them to life. Understand how round petals create fullness and pointed petals create structure.
13Finishing Your Kawari-Hana Kanzashi
Add the flower center and final details, then attach the tassel to finish. Your first wearable tsumami-zaiku piece is complete.
Chapter 2

Many-Petaled Flowers: Round & Pointed Chrysanthemum

4 lessons
14The Yamamenko: Your Guide to a Flat-Faced Flower
Meet the yamamenko — a simple device that keeps every petal flush for a clean, flat-faced flower. Learn how to make this hidden helper yourself.
15Edge Trimming: Three Effects, One Cut
A precise trim at the base of each petal controls length, angle, and how wide it opens. Master these three effects for any multi-petal design.
16The Round Chrysanthemum (Maru-Giku)
Fold and assemble 12 round petals into a full chrysanthemum. Uniform shape, size, and angle across all 12 is the real lesson.
17The Pointed Chrysanthemum (Ken-Giku)
Build a chrysanthemum with sharp, radiating petals. Heel alignment and consistent petal height separate a crisp ken-giku from a ragged one.
Chapter 3

Double-Fold Petals: Futae Tsumami

3 lessons
18The Double Round Fold: Core Technique
Fold two layers of silk as one, offset by exactly 2 mm, with three ridges that align perfectly. Layering colors opens up a whole new range of expression.
19The Double-Fold Plum Blossom
Apply the double fold to create a plum blossom (ume) with visible layered petals, finished with a pearl center. Elegant and refined.
20Multi-Petal Review: Checking Your Precision
Revisit the round and pointed chrysanthemums once more. Seeing how far they've come since your first attempt builds the habit of inspecting your own work with a critical eye.
Chapter 4

Final Project: A Six-Flower Corsage

10 lessons
21Your Final Project: Piece Overview
Meet your final project — a corsage of six silk flowers, made for a wardrobe rather than the hair, so it feels at home anywhere in the world. We begin by understanding its structure from the ground up.
22Preparing the Round-Fold Flowers
Make three round-petal flowers for the final piece. The double-fold plum differs in size and petal count from your earlier practice version — adapt as you go.
23The Double-Ken Chrysanthemum
Build a chrysanthemum from double-layer pointed petals. As you fold, note how the order of pinching and the way the layers stack differ from the double round fold.
24Making the Ken-Giku and Its Variation
Drawing on Chapter 2, make two kinds of pointed chrysanthemum. With these, all your flower components are ready.
25Building the Base
Using fabric and a styrofoam ball, build the base that will hold your flowers. Beauty lives even in the parts no one sees.
26The Fuji-Sagari Hanging 1 — Yu-noshi (Steaming the Cord)
The fuji-sagari hanging is a signature of tsumami-zaiku. To make beautiful drops, we start by preparing the lily yarn with a steaming technique called yu-noshi.
27The Fuji-Sagari Hanging 2 — The Bond-Fold
Because the back of a hanging is on view, we fold these petals with bond so they're clean from every side — a technique that also achieves looks the starch-fold cannot.
28The Fuji-Sagari Hanging 3 — Fuki (Threading the Petals)
Thread your finished petals onto the lily yarn. The trick is to keep them running straight down the line, without twisting.
29Assembling the Flower
Glue your finished flowers onto the base and attach the hangings to complete the piece. The most meditative stage — where your work becomes itself.
30Attaching the Hardware — Corsage Clip
Fix your finished piece onto the hardware. Wear it on a jacket, a coat, or a bag — it's lovely anywhere.
Chapter 5

Closing

2 lessons
31Inspecting Your Work: Common Mistakes
To send your work into the world, you need a clear standard of your own. Learn how to inspect your pieces, and the common mistakes to watch for.
32Course Complete — On to Intermediate
Congratulations on completing the course — you now stand at the doorway to true craftsmanship. The Intermediate Course turns to skills beyond the fold itself, opening the way to a far wider range of work.

▶ FREE 9 lessons, free to preview  ·  23 lessons, unlocked when you enroll

Ready to Learn It All?

Every lesson above — plus the materials kit, shipped from Kyoto to your door.

Enroll Now — US$399
03 — WHAT'S INCLUDED

What's Included

32 Video Lessons

The complete beginner curriculum, taught in English.

A Materials Kit

Silk, glue, tweezers, and base parts shipped to your door (international shipping available).

English Subtitles

On every lesson, on or off as you like.

Lifetime Access

Buy once, keep forever. Re-watch anytime, at your own pace.

A Digital Certificate

Recognizing your completion of the Beginner Course.

Thirty-two lessons.
One pair of hands — yours.

絹
04 — THE KIT
［実写・新規撮影：新作キットの中身フラットレイ 4:3（z0-502流用不可）］
［実写・新規撮影：完成コサージュ作例（6輪・色違い）4:3（重ね）］

Everything in One Kit —
Shipped from Kyoto

Your final project uses a kit made just for this course: pre-cut silk, glue, and all the base parts you need to make a corsage of six silk flowers. Designed to be worn — on a jacket, a coat, or a bag — so a piece of Kyoto goes wherever you do. No hunting for hard-to-find materials; we ship it to you, anywhere in the world.

See the Kit
道
05 — Enroll

Start the Beginner Course

US$399

32 lessons + materials kit, shipped worldwide.
Buy once, keep forever. 9 lessons are free to preview before you decide.

No subscription·Lifetime access·English subtitles·Taught by Kyoto artisans

Enroll Now

Not sure yet? Watch the 9 free lessons first →

06 — AFTER THE COURSE

The Beginner Course
Is Just the Beginning

Complete the Beginner Course and you're eligible to advance — to the Intermediate Course, then Advanced, and ultimately the Oharibako Instructor Certification, issued directly by our Kyoto studio with over 80 years of history. Each step takes you deeper into a living tradition — and one day, toward the authority to teach it yourself.

See the Full Path
07 — FAQ

Beginner Course —
Your Questions

I'm a complete beginner. Is this really for me?
Yes. The Beginner Course starts from the very first fold and builds step by step. No experience needed — if you can hold a pair of tweezers, you can start.
What do the free lessons include?
9 of the 32 lessons are free to preview, including the two core folds — maru-tsumami (round) and ken-tsumami (pointed). Try them before you buy.
Do I need to buy the kit separately?
The materials kit is included with the course. We ship it internationally so you have everything you need to complete the final project.
How long do I have access?
Forever. Buy once and re-watch the lessons as many times as you like, at your own pace. There is no deadline.
Are the lessons in English?
Yes — taught in English with English subtitles you can turn on or off.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, and PayPal. Every payment is processed securely through Shopify, our e-commerce platform — we never see or store your card details.
What is your refund policy?
Because the course is a digital product delivered immediately, refunds are generally not available once lessons have been accessed. If something is wrong, contact us within 7 days of purchase and we'll do our best to help. See our full refund policy.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes — a digital certificate recognizing your completion of the Beginner Course, and eligibility to advance toward the Oharibako Instructor Certification.
［画像：完成コサージュのビューティーカット 16:9］

絹に始まり、絹に終わるIt begins with silk, and ends with silk.

Make Your First Kanzashi.

Start with 9 free lessons, learn the folds, and see how it feels. When you're ready, the full Beginner Course — kit included — is here for you.

Enroll Now — US$399 Watch the Free Lessons
The Beginner Course— US$399 · 32 lessons + materials kit · 9 free previews Enroll Now

Delivered from Nishijin, Kyoto

We deliver silk tsumami zaiku hair accessories made in our workshop in Kyoto.

Handcrafted by artisans

Each item is carefully crafted, from cutting to assembly.

Reliable support

Please feel free to contact us for inquiries about products or reservations.

Ships domestically and internationally

We handle not only domestic shipping but also international shipping.