Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-25
CHANGING CUSTOMS
Osaka Geishas Save Money
and Do Their Own Hair.
COPY AMERICAN GIRLS
has BEEN EXPENSIVE ITEM IN
PERSONAL EXPENSES.
Savings Used to Help Their Country
men in the

Written for The Evening Star
Not the least among the recent changes
brought about in the land of the mikado
since the outbreak of the war in the far
east, as the result Of modern progressive-
ness, Is that of hair dressing followed by
japanese women, the style for centuries
being most elaborate and expensive one.
NOW that the present war has resulted
IN Americanizing Japan to a large degree,
the pretty, loyal japanese woman, anxious
to help her country In it's present struggle.
Is busy devising ways and means of con-
tributing her share toward the war fund.
and has accordingly adopted the palmer
style pursued by American girls in dressing
Of the hair, abandoning her own very elabo-
rate and expensive style, which annually
has cost her large sum of money
The geishas of Osaka an important busi-
ness center in Japan, are primarily re-
sponsible for this great change in the hair
dressing of the Japanese woman. On the
outbreak of the war they, in common with
the rest of the island, began cutting down
personal expenses. so that they might con-
tribute to the war fund. One of the
gelsha S chief expenses is her hair: the
geishas of Osaka hit upon the idea that If
they would wear their hair American style
they could dress 1t themselves and thus
save this particular item entirely.
japanese women do not wear hats at all
their hair being dressed by professional
hair dressers twice a week in a very elabo-
rate style, ornamented with various combs
kanzashi are long pins with artificial flow
ers, or fruit or birds, and tinsel and tas-
sells fixed at the ends.
Universal Custom.
All over the kingdom the Japanese women
of every degree bestow lavish care on the
dressing Of their hair. Their combs and
hair pins Of beautifully designed tortoise
skell, coral and other costly materials, Of
ten represent many months Of their hus-
bands salaries. Fortunately, all these
tbirgs, even the dresses and hair orna-
ments, can be handed down from mother to
daughter, jewels and lace may be in
America.
A Japanese woman's dress will often rep
resent a money value of $500, while the or
na ments she employs in the elaborate dec
Grating of her hair may cost twice as much
again. A woman of the smaller shop-keep-
ing class may have on her, when she goes
out holiday making, some forty or fifty
dollars worth of ornaments in her hair.
A Jap will rarely spend on his clothes as
much he let's his wife spend on the elab-
crate dressing of her hair. THENCE, through
a gradual decline in price, comes the coolies
poor trappings.
On a cold winters day a Japanese woman
of the wealthiest class will obscure her
prettily arranged hair and ornaments by
wrapping piece of dark blue crepe around
her head to protect her from the chilling
blasts. This covering is called a ''zukin.'
Geishas Set the Styles.
The style in hair dress in Japan is set, or
was set by the pretty little mousmes or
single girls who are always noted for
their beauty, grace and accomplishments.
These fair maids live merely for the pur-
pose of entertaining; In fact they are en-
tertainers pure and simple, being always
engaged by the hour to sing and dance. US
ually at private banquets. which are really
dinners, and which are frequently given by
all the weather. Japs.
Ever and always the hair of the geisha
cir. has been the wonder and admiration of
the world. To properly dress the hair of
the geisha requires the work of almost a
day on the part of an expert, and the little
maid must be very careful not to rumple 1T
at any time, else the whole operation must
be repeated at once-hence the small blocks
of wood which the Japanese women use for
pillows the wood touching only the neck
and not the hair
Are Patriotic Damsels.
The supervisors of geisha houses gener-
ally have a bylaw prohibiting all coiffures