is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinctive in their construction and societal role.

Traditionally, the construction of most  hairstyles consisted of two "wings" at the side of the head, curving upwards towards the back of the head to form a topknot or ponytail, with a long loop of hair below this also drawn into the topknot. Styles were accessorised with traditional hair accessories, though typically only by women; the combination of both style and accessories formed hairstyles that distinctively varied based on gender, age, job role and social standing.

Most styles of  were hardened and shaped with wax, known as , and were styled with specially-carved combs made of either bamboo or boxwood, with heated tongs used to straighten the hair before styling. Hair styled in this manner was typically restyled weekly, and in some cases would necessitate sleeping on a pillow raised from the floor, known as a .

 are no longer commonly worn, and today are most often seen on , geisha and sumo wrestlers. A number of different styles of  are also worn by courtesan re-enactors and modern , and many styles once common in the Edo period are seen faithfully reproduced in kabuki plays, which themselves also commonly date to the Edo period. Though some styles of  are well documented, others have, over time, fallen into obscurity, with little in the way of documentation in regards to their appearance, name, origin and method of styling.

History

Many hairstyles now labelled  were developed during the Edo period, when a preference amongst women for long, flowing hairstyles transitioned towards more elaborate, upswept styles, featuring buns at the back of the neck and 'wings' at either side of the head. This trend, originating amongst courtesans and kabuki actors, soon spread to fashionable merchants' wives, before becoming a general fashion trend seen throughout Japan.

During this time, a number of widely-varying hairstyles were developed and worn by Japanese women, with hairstyles commonly worn based on age, social class and occupation. One such hairstyle that developed during the Edo period was the , which was commonly worn by girls in their late teenage years. The  became the basis for a number of popular hairstyles, such as the  (), which developed in the mid-Edo period; featuring wide wings at the side of the head, its name was said to refer to the fact that the area behind a person could be seen through the wings of a hairstyle, akin to being able to see through a  lantern. The  experienced wide popularity, and was commonly depicted in ukiyo-e prints by artists such as Utamaro.

Other hairstyles, such as ,  and the  were also worn by young women; the  hairstyle was typically worn by girls during the Edo period, with  being worn by newly married women during the later Edo period and Meiji period.

Historically, traditional hairstylists, known as , were almost entirely women, a trend which continued up until the 1970s, when the last hairstylist servicing the  in Kyoto died, leading to hairstylist Tetsuo Ishihara taking the role. The boxwood and bamboo combs used to create the hairstyles were, and continue to be, handmade by craftspeople; however, though as many as 200 craftspeople made combs near Osaka in the mid-19th century, few craftspeople exist to produce traditional combs in the modern day.

During and after WWII, wigs (known as ) being worn by geisha; this allowed geisha to go weeks without needing to restyle their hair, over the once or twice weekly required when not wearing a wig. The hairstyles worn by  also changed following WWII, though  continued to mostly use their own hair instead of a wig. Previously,  had worn hairstyles relatively similar to the  style worn by geisha, with each section of the hairstyle appearing longer and less voluminous in style. In the postwar period, the number of hairstylists with the knowledge to create this hairstyle dwindled significantly enough that the hairstyles of  were redeveloped.

In the present day, there are still relatively few traditional hairstylists, with just five in 2004 in Kyoto servicing the entirety of the geisha and  communities.

Styling
Though a number of different hairstyles exist, most  styles follow a relatively similar construction method. Knowledge of the styling methods for as many as 115 different styles of  survives to the present day.

The hair is first divided into five sections:

The front 'bangs' (in British English 'fringe') section 
The two side wings, or 
The bun/topknot section, called the 
The nape section, which forms a long loop of hair underneath the topknot, called the 

Each section is styled towards the  at the top of the head; variations in the volume and shape can denote a different hairstyle entirely. The hair is then styled using traditional boxwood or bamboo combs (known as  and  respectively), and is kept in place with the addition of wax, the thickness of which varies based on factors such as weather and humidity. Parts of the hairstyle are supported by the addition of waxed hair extensions, typically yak hair, before being secured with wire cords known as  and kept in place with hair accessories and combs. Separate hair combs, featuring small, short teeth, are used to gently touch up the hairstyle once styled, keeping it free from dirt and dust.

Geisha
Post-WWII, geisha began to wear wigs (known as ) instead of styling their own hair, a trend which continues to this day. Geisha generally wear -style wigs known as ,  or . This style is distinguishable from the  that brides wear by its generally flatter and thinner appearance; the  are smaller and less rounded, the  is placed further back on the head, and the  is longer and thinner; the  is also typically not as full. Geisha  are styled to suit each individual's face, meaning that no two geisha  appear alike, whereas bridal  are typically rented and pre-styled, leading to less variation than is seen in the  geisha wear.

The style of  worn by older geisha to special events is known as the . This style of , worn by older women in previous centuries, is the flattest form of the , with the  pushed relatively far back off the head, appearing somewhat squashed with the usually-open loop of the  crushed to form two smaller, tighter loops of hair.

Brides
For traditional Japanese weddings, a style of  known as the  or  is worn by the bride, which appears extremely similar to the  worn by geisha.

The  worn by brides is typically a pre-styled wig hired for the day, featuring full, rounded , a  set relatively high on the head, a fuller  and a shorter, fuller  at the back. This is usually worn with a set of matching hair accessories, which can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or faux-tortoiseshell.

wear a number of different hairstyles throughout their apprenticeship to become geisha, many of which vary by region and individual geisha district. The hair accessories worn by  vary by season and occasion, and are considerably larger than most  worn by women. Some  are particular to a certain district or event; for instance,  from Gion Kobu wear a special hairstyle for the Miyako Odori.

Typically, the average  will go through five changes in hairstyle throughout their apprenticeship. These are:

 – the hairstyle worn by every senior  during the Gion Matsuri. The  resembles the  in both shape and construction, featuring the same  in either red, pink or blue (for very senior maiko) tied under the . On either side of the ,  (silver flower ) are placed in the gap formed by the  itself. It is said that this hairstyle was created using the  hairstyle from the Edo period.
 – the default hairstyle for senior . Like ,  also appears similar to , however, instead of a bun split into two equally-sized wings, the  is left unsplit, with a  (triangle of typically -dyed silk) pinned to the outside, forming a triangle of silk from the base of the  that is pinned to the centre. As  graduate in seniority, the colour of the  changes from red, then to pink, and then finally different colours.
 – the last hairstyle worn by  before graduating to geishahood.  is worn for two weeks before graduation (known as ). It is the most elaborate and expensive of  hairstyles, decorated with formal tortoiseshell , and a unique  designed by the  herself, featuring auspicious animals such as cranes and tortoises. The  is tied in a complex manner, and features a hanging strip of waxed hair; the night before a 's , the proprietress of the  and the  and geisha of the house cuts the strip of hair and the ties holding the hairstyle together.
 – the hairstyle worn by junior  for the first 2–3 years of their apprenticeship. The  appears structurally similar to the  hairstyle, with the  hairstyle featuring a flatter ,  that taper towards the bottom, a smaller, chunkier  and a  that lies further towards the back of the head in its fullness.

The  is formed by shaping a typical -style , before being split into two wings with a long strip of waxed hair. A  hair ornament is placed in the middle of the wings, before two padded rolls of -dyed red silk – known as a  – are inserted at the top and bottom, giving the appearance of a doughnut-shaped red ring with two wings of hair on either side. The  is worn for a 's formal debut, known as , where it is also decorated with formal  made of tortoiseshell, silver and red  (dangling silver strips placed underneath the ), and two  ("fluttering" or "dangling") .
 – the hairstyle worn by senior  for  (the start of the new year),  (summer Thanksgiving in Gion Kobu only), and for performing tea ceremony at  (dances). The  is constructed similarly to the basic  style, with a two-part  at the back, identifiable for this style by the string of beads wrapped around its centre and the single-bead  placed in the middle of this string, known collectively as the . In winter, the  is typically coral with a single jade bead , and in summer, the colours reverse to be mainly jade with a single coral bead. The  also features a long, padded tube of silk (a ) tied through and underneath the , usually in red silk, though it can be a number of colours.

and 

Historically,  (all high-class courtesans) and  (the highest rank of courtesan) wore a number of different, typically elaborate and heavily-dressed styles of . These included, but were not limited to:

, which incorporated elements of the  and  hairstyles in the  and  respectively
, an informal style worn by lower-ranking courtesans, and not seen on townswomen or samurai women in the Edo period as in some hairstyles
, a type of  appearing similar to the  with a simply-formed  and accessorised with a smaller, colourful cord tied around it; historical versions of the  appear to show a more elongated  and more prominently-looped 
 and , both featuring prominent and intricately-styled 
, similar to the  worn by senior  and differing in the longer, looser  and in the style of  used
, named after one of the heroines in the Tale of Genji, featuring wide  and a gold cord wrapped around the intricately-styled 

Other styles worn by  had less-elaborate counterparts commonly worn by townswomen,  and women of the samurai class. These included:

Other 
Other Japanese hairstyles include:

See also
 Hairstyles of Japanese women
 List of hairstyles

References

External links
 
 How to style  (in Japanese)

Geisha
Hairstyles by culture
Japanese words and phrases