science

Marudai

Marudai is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marudai rather than just read about it. In short: A marudai (丸台, lit. 'round stand') is the most common of the traditional frames used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. Etymology The marudai is generally made of a close-grained wood and consists of a round disk (kagami or "mirror") with a hole in the center, supported by four legs set in a base.

Key takeaways

Marudai belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marudai to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marudai from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A marudai (丸台, lit. 'round stand') is the most common of the traditional frames used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid.

Etymology The marudai is generally made of a close-grained wood and consists of a round disk (kagami or "mirror") with a hole in the center, supported by four legs set in a base. The Japanese style marudai is often about 16 in (41 cm) high and is used while kneeling or when placed on a table. The Western style 26 in (66 cm) marudai allows the braider to sit in a chair to braid. The warp threads that form the braid are wound around weighted bobbins called tama (lit. 'egg'). Tama were once made of clay, but now are most commonly wood filled with lead. The weight of the tama maintains even tension on the warp threads, and is balanced by a bag of counterweights called omori that is attached to the base of the braid. Modern braiders often replace the marudai with a foam disk with numbered slots that tightly grip the warp threads to maintain warp tension, so that weighted bobbins are not needed; instead, flexible plastic bobbins are used to prevent tangling of the threads. Unlike kumihimo disks, marudai have no indication of where the thread should be placed; it is done freehand.

Related terms Kagami – "Mirror", the polished wooden top disk of the marudai. Kongō Gumi – a class of patterns for round cord all involving eight threads folded in half for a total of sixteen strands. In clockwise order, each bobbins is moved to the opposite side. When different combinations of thread color are used, many interesting patterns emerge, including diagonal stripes, diamonds on a background, triangles resembling hearts, and tiny six-petalled flowers. Kongō Gumi is named for the venerable Kongō Gumi company of Japan, the oldest known company in the world. Kumihimo or kumi himo – Japanese for "gathered threads". Obi – the broad cloth sash worn with kimono; kumihimo braids are often used as obijime, worn on top of the obi. Obijime – the cord used to fasten the obi securely in some obi styles. Usually one string of kumihimo is tied around the obi securely, and an accessory called the obidome is often added in front for decoration. Omori – Counterweights used in kumihimo braiding. Takadai – a rectangular or square frame for kumihimo. Tama – little spools. The thread is kept from unwinding by passing the thread under itself, forming a loop around the tama. True silk – a hollow fiber with a rough surface that resists slipping past the loop unless gently pulled. For synthetic fibers, a flexible plastic "clamshell" bobbin may be preferable.

Further reading Yamaoka, Kazuharu Issei. (1975) Domyo no kimihimo : marudai, yotsu-uchidai [Domyo style kumihimo]. Tokyo : Shufunotomo Publication (Handicraft series). OCLC 703820275, JPNO 75076336 (in Japanese) Kyōto Kimono Gakuin. (1979) A Step to kimono and kumihimo. Pasadena, Calif: International College of California. OCLC 5658813. Carey, Jacqui. (1994) Creative Kumihimo. Torquay: Devonshire Press. ISBN 0952322501, 9780952322504, OCLC 888120089. Tada, Makiko. (1996) Andesu No Kumihimo: Kādo to Marudai. [Andean sling braids]. (Kumihimo sōran series, 2) Hino : Tekusuto. 2nd ed., (in Japanese) with some English. ISBN 4925252127, 9784925252126, OCLC 977659717 . Carey, Jacqui. (1997) The Craft of Kumihimo. New York: Midpoint Trade Books, In. ISBN 9780855328283, 0855328282, OCLC 903504434. Carey, Jacqui. (1997) Beginner's Guide to Braiding, the Craft of Kumihimo. Tunbridge Wells : Search Press. ISBN 0855328282, 9780855328283, OCLC 472775122 Tada, Makiko (2008). Tada Makiko Kumihimo-ten : dento no bi to sentan gijutsu [Makiko Tada kumihimo show : traditional beauty and the latest technics]. Naruse Memorial Hall (ed). Tokyo : Japan Women's College (Tsukuru series 5). NCID BB19346894. (in Japanese) Sakai, Aiko; Tada, Makiko. E o mite wakaru kumihimo : Tanoshiku dekiru marudai kakudai ayadake-dai [Visual guide to kumihimo : practice on marudai, kakudai, and ayadake-dai with fun], Japan Vogue, OCLC 676423318. (in Japanese) Owen, Rodrick. (1995) Braids: 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru & Beyond. Loveland, Colo. : Interweave Press, ISBN 1883010063, 9781883010065, OCLC 31754981. Softcover ed., Berkeley, CA : Lacis, 2004. OCLC 79431006 Tada, Makiko. (April 2014) Marudai braids 120.(Comprehensive treatise of braids 1), 3rd ed., Hino : Tekusuto. (in Japanese) with some English. OCLC 676423383 Chottikampon K.; Mathurosemontri S.; Marui H.; Sirisuwan P.; Inoda M., et al. (2015) Comparison of braiding skills between expert and non-experts by eye’s movement measurement. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) 9184 (2015): 14-23 ISSN 0302-9743, OCLC 5932476964 Tada, Makiko. (2017). Utsukushii kumihimo to komono no reshipi: marudai de tsukuru honkakuteki na kumihimo o mijika na dōgu de yasashiku kawaiku. [Beautiful kumihimo recipes for marudai you braid with everyday tools, fun and pretty] Tōkyō : Nihon Bungeisha. ISBN 9784537214901, 4537214902, OCLC 995846156. (in Japanese)

Footnotes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marudai

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marudai claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marudai before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marudai ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marudai

In research: Marudai appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marudai in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marudai is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Braids, Handicrafts, Hobbies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marudai outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marudai in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marudai means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marudai out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marudai in simple terms?

A marudai (丸台, lit. 'round stand') is the most common of the traditional frames used for making kumihimo, a type of Japanese braid. Etymology The marudai is generally made of a close-grained wood and consists of a round disk (kagami or "mirror") with a hole in the center, supported by four legs set…

Why does Marudai matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marudai?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marudai.