Nihongami

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Traditional Japanese hairstyles

title: "Nihongami" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["geisha", "hairstyles-by-culture", "japanese-words-and-phrases"] description: "Traditional Japanese hairstyles" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Traditional Japanese hairstyles ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Nihongami.jpg" caption="marumage}} hairstyle"] ::

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 ja 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 ja were hardened and shaped with wax, known as ja, 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 ja.

ja are no longer commonly worn, and today are most often seen on ja, geisha and sumo wrestlers. A number of different styles of ja are also worn by courtesan re-enactors and modern ja, 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 ja 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Nihongami-wig-2022-3-15.ogv" caption="nihongami katsura}} (wig) in a display case"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Traditional_Japanese_women's_hairstyle_'Yui-wata'.JPG" caption="yuiwata}} hairstyle" alt="A black and white drawing of the back of a woman's hairstyle. The bun is wrapped with a number of fabric ties."] ::

The noblewomen of the early 7th century would wear their hair "very high and boxy at the front, with a sickle-shaped ponytail at the back, sometimes called 'hair bound with a red string'" They would call this hairstyle keppatsu (結髪) because it was inspired by the Chinese fashion of the era. Keppatsu served to make the hairline look artificially retracted.

The noblewomen of Japan started to abandon Chinese fashions and create their own style of sense and practicality. This occurred around 794 and lasted until about 1345, during Heian period. The style at this time was to wear long, loose, straight hair called suberakashi (垂れ髪). The 11th-century novel The Tale of Genji describes women showing off their long, flowing hair.

Many hairstyles now labelled ja 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 ja, which was commonly worn by girls in their late teenage years. The ja became the basis for a number of popular hairstyles, such as the ja (), 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 ja lantern. The ja experienced wide popularity, and was commonly depicted in ukiyo-e prints by artists such as Utamaro.

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

Historically, traditional hairstylists, known as ja, were almost entirely women, a trend which continued up until the 1970s, when the last hairstylist servicing the ja 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 ja) 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 ja also changed following WWII, though ja continued to mostly use their own hair instead of a wig. Previously, ja had worn hairstyles relatively similar to the ja 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 ja 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 ja communities.

Styling

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

The hair is first divided into five sections:

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

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

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

Brides

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

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

{{transliteration|ja|Maiko}}

ja 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 ja vary by season and occasion, and are considerably larger than most ja worn by women. Some ja are particular to a certain district or event; for instance, ja from Gion Kobu wear a special hairstyle for the Miyako Odori.

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

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

The ja is formed by shaping a typical ja-style ja, before being split into two wings with a long strip of waxed hair. A ja hair ornament is placed in the middle of the wings, before two padded rolls of ja-dyed red silk – known as a ja – 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 ja is worn for a ja's formal debut, known as ja, where it is also decorated with formal ja made of tortoiseshell, silver and red ja (dangling silver strips placed underneath the ja), and two ja ("fluttering" or "dangling") ja.

  • – the hairstyle worn by senior ja for ja (the start of the new year), ja (summer Thanksgiving in Gion Kobu only), and for performing tea ceremony at ja (dances). The ja is constructed similarly to the basic ja style, with a two-part ja at the back, identifiable for this style by the string of beads wrapped around its centre and the single-bead ja placed in the middle of this string, known collectively as the ja. In winter, the ja is typically coral with a single jade bead ja, and in summer, the colours reverse to be mainly jade with a single coral bead. The ja also features a long, padded tube of silk (a ja) tied through and underneath the ja, usually in red silk, though it can be a number of colours.

{{transliteration|ja|Oiran}} and {{transliteration|ja|tayū}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Oiran_at_Asakusa_(DORONKO)_002.jpg" caption="date hyōgo}} hairstyle"] ::

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

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

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

  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja

Other {{transliteration|ja|nihongami}}

Other Japanese hairstyles include:

  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja
  • ja

References

References

  1. "10 Gorgeous Ancient Hairstyles Worn by Japanese Women".
  2. "Symbolism of Hairstyles in Korea and Japan". Asian Folklore Studies.
  3. "Frontal pseudoalopecia in history: Part 2—Cultural forms". Clinics in Dermatology.
  4. "10 Gorgeous Ancient Hairstyles Worn by Japanese Women".
  5. (2006). "Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History". Greenwood Publishing Group.
  6. "Description of Japanese Hairstyles (日本髪の解説)".
  7. Faiola, Anthony. (17 August 2004). "The Geisha Stylist Who Let His Hair Down". The Washington Post.
  8. "Combs". Traditional Kyoto.
  9. 石原哲男. (2004). "日本髪の世界: 髪型と髪飾り編". 日本髪資料館.

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