This post is a twofer, what is kute-uchi and how Japanese loop braiding got its modern name. 'Modern name, I thought you said it was older than kumihimo?’ Yes, but I’ll get to that in a minute, first what is kute-uchi.
Kute-uchi is Japanese loop manipulation braiding, both finger and hand strap braiding. In loop manipulation braiding, each loop provides two elements or threads of a braid that move in unison. These dual elements for each loop mean that all loop manipulation braids will always have an even number of elements regardless if there are an even or odd number of loops. Free end braids such as hair braiding or kumihimo can have an even or odd number of elements.
Now, what makes Kute-uchi unique is that it is the only one to practice finger and hand loop braiding in the same time frame and one of two to practice hand loop braiding, the other being the nomads of Oman.* Every other culture with loop manipulation uses finger loop braiding.
Loop braiding has two types, finger loop which most people are familiar with and hand loop. Hand loop braiding allows a braider to hold more loops; finger loop braiding is limited in the number a braider can hold.** By moving the loops from the fingers and having them go around the whole hand, a braider isn’t limited to the number of fingers they have. But ask anyone who has worked with string and they’ll tell you it doesn’t like to stay put. So to prevent the threads from rolling over each other making it difficult, if not impossible, to keep track of the proper order, braiders developed straps to hold the threads in their proper place.
Let’s get to how the name ‘kute-uchi’ came to be. Masako Kinoshita began studying strange occurrences in braids in the early 1970’s. By the time her book published in 1994, she had been researching and reading texts on loop braiding for twenty years and had not found a name for the practice. So she created one from the old words for hand and strap, kute and uchi, because of the strap used in hand loop braiding. ‘Kute-uchi means hand strap, how does that cover finger loop braiding then?’ Well, because the word was created where one did not exist to describe a unique historical practice, Masako made the definition to include both halves of Japanese loop braiding.
* Here is a link to where Masako talks about this as well as where the name Kute-uchi comes from, http://www.lmbric.net/ILh/ILh.html more information can be found in her works, books, and on her website.
** No, that limit is not nine. With practice, a braider can work with eleven loops.
