Kanzashi

are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. The term refers to a wide variety of accessories, including long, rigid hairpins, barrettes, fabric flowers and fabric hair ties.

In the English-speaking world, the term is typically used to refer to hair ornaments made from layers of folded cloth used to form flowers (), or the technique of folding used to make the flowers.

History

were first used in Japan during the Jōmon period. During that time, the wearing of a single thin rod or stick was considered to hold powers to ward off evil spirits, with people wearing them in their hair for protective purposes. The Jōmon period also saw the introduction of hair combs.

During the Nara period, a variety of Chinese cultural aspects and items were brought to Japan through mutual trade and envoys. The items brought back from China included Chinese hairpins (, ; written with the same Chinese character as ), amongst other hair ornaments such as Chinese combs.

During the Heian period, hairstyles shifted from being worn up to being worn long, and tied back relatively low. During this time period, the term began to be used as a general term for any hair ornament, including combs and hairpins.

During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, hairstyles changed from the style, to the wider variety of styles worn up – predecessors of modern styles, which made more use of hair ornaments.

came into wider use during the Edo period, when hairstyles became larger and more complicated, using a larger number of ornaments. Artisans began to produce more finely crafted products, including some hair ornaments that could be used as defensive weapons. During the latter part of the Edo period, the craftsmanship of is considered to have reached a high point, with a number of styles and designs created, many of which persist to the modern day.

Modern day

In the present day, traditional Japanese hairstyles are not commonly worn, typically being worn only by geisha, , sumo wrestlers, brides, modern and re-enactors, with both geisha, brides, and , and some apprentice geisha in some regions of Japan, using pre-styled wigs instead of their own hair.

As such, few people wear with traditional hairstyles. However, can be, and still are, worn with everyday hairstyles as simple hair accessories; there are a number of varieties and styles of wearing , with modern varieties worn as hairclips both common and popular. In 1982, were officially designated as a traditional Japanese handcraft in the Tokyo region.

Craftsmanship

Professional craftspeople typically undergo a five- to 10-year traditional apprenticeship to learn the trade. Similarly to the combs used to create hairstyles, only a small number of traditionally-trained craftspeople are left practising the trade within Japan; from 2002 to 2010, their estimated number in the country decreased from 15 to five.

However, the technique of petal-folded fabric has become a popular craft amongst hobbyists, with a number of books, kits and lessons available on the subject, from sources such as the Tsumami Kanzashi Museum in Shinjuku. Some hobbyists have bypassed the traditional apprenticeship system to establish themselves as independent artisans of in Japan."Ryoko"; English translation by Kevin Mcgue
"Yonuko's Beautiful Hair Pins: Make New From Old"
. ''PingMag'', 12 June 2008, retrieved 15 February 2012.

Types

are fabricated from a wide range of materials, such as lacquered wood, gold and silver plated metal, tortoiseshell, silk, and recently, plastic. Early plastic made out of materials such as bakelite are considered to be highly valued as collectables.

There are a number of basic styles, with the wear of each typically and traditionally following seasonal arrangements; however, in the present day, the use of seasonal is observed only by geisha, their apprentices, , re-enactors and in the costumes for kabuki plays. The use of to finely indicate age and status is a tradition also only held by geisha and .

For , the size, shape, variety and number of can indicate seniority and the stage of apprenticeship, used in tangent with a number of different hairstyles throughout the apprenticeship. Though geisha also wear seasonal , this is typically confined to a change in the colour of .

Basic styles

Despite seasonal and (in the instance of bridalwear) occasional variation, most that are not considered to be fall into one of a number of basic shapes and appearances.

Other styles

A number of other styles of also exist, though these are typically only worn for specific, uncommon hairstyles, such as by in certain geisha districts or by characters in some kabuki plays.

– literally meaning "pinched " – are traditional made of squares of dyed or printed silk, folded into a number of shapes to represent flowers, plants and animals.

Each square is folded multiple times with the aid of tweezers and glued onto a base using rice glue. A finished piece may contain anything from five to 75 squares of silk or more. pieces are intended to closely represent the plant or animal they depict; depicting flowers are known as (literally meaning "flower ").

are usually made from a cluster of flowers, and may include -style strips of metal or long streamers of petals dangling from the main piece. are well-known for wearing that are typically larger than average.

Generally, are worn in pairs, one on either side of the head, often with a complementary . The flowers are glued to backings of metal or cardboard that are attached to a wire and are bunched together to make bouquets and other arrangements. Additional detailing of

stamens is created by the use of , a strong, thin twine made from paper, often coloured and used for decorative works.

Geisha, and especially , wear different for each month of the year.

Seasonal motifs

are highly seasonal, though typically the only people in Japan who follow the seasons closely enough to register seasonal changes are geisha and their apprentices. Since wear more elaborate than their senior geisha, seasonal changes are even more important for them.

*January – The design of January usually has an auspicious New Years' theme. is a popular choice – a combination of pine (), bamboo () and plum blossoms () in green, red and white. Other popular motifs are sparrows (), spinning tops and battledore paddles ().
*February – Usually trailing deep pink or red plum blossoms, said to symbolise young love and the approach of spring. Another less common theme is the pinwheel and the flowerball () that is worn for Setsubun.
*March – Trailing yellow and white rapeseed flowers () and butterflies, as well as peach blossoms (), narcissus (), camellia () and peonies (). A rare featuring dolls that are used to celebrate the (Girl's Day Festival) can also be seen during this month.
*April – Trailing soft pink cherry blossoms () mixed with butterflies and lanterns, signalling the approach of summer. Cherry blossom viewing at this time of year is a major cultural event in Japan. consisting of a single silver (or sometimes gold) butterfly () made of cord are common.
*May – Trailing purple wisteria () and flag irises (), usually in blue or pink. Irises denote the height of spring while wisteria is a flower often associated with the Imperial Court (wisteria viewing parties have been celebrated by Japanese nobles since the Heian period).
*June – Trailing green willow () leaves with carnations/pinks (), or less commonly hydrangea () flowers. This month is the rainy season in Japan, and therefore willow (a water-loving tree) and blue hydrangeas are appropriate.
*July – featuring a display of fans (usually round fans, but occasionally folding fans) are featured. The fans refer to the Gion Festival which takes place at this time. The motifs featured on a 's fan vary each year, in line with the festival. There are common themes such as dragonflies and lines denoting swirling water. Other worn during July are fireworks and dewdrops on grass ().
*August – Large morning glory () or grass. The grass appears as a starburst of spines made of silvered paper. Senior wear white-backed silver petals and junior wear pink-backed silver petals.
*September – Japanese bellflower (). The purple tones are traditionally associated with autumn. Often these will be mixed with bush clover.
*October – Chrysanthemum (). These are well loved in Japan and are a symbol of the Imperial Family. Senior will wear one large flower while junior will wear a cluster of small flowers. Typical colours include pink, white, red, yellow, and purple.
*November – Trailing autumnal leaves that are usually composed of the very popular Japanese maple. Maple viewing is the autumnal equivalent of cherry blossom viewing in Japan. Ginkgo and liquidambar leaves are also seen.
*December – The Japanese make at this time of year, and often decorate trees with them to represent white flowers. It is thought to be good luck to wear featuring , or rice-cake flowers. December also feature two , name plates used by kabuki actors, which are initially blank. Traditionally, visit the Minamiza Theatre and ask two of their favourite kabuki actors to autograph them with their kabuki ''nom de plume''. for senior feature green bamboo leaves while junior have a colourful assortment of lucky charms.
*New Year – At this time of year all and geisha wear un-husked ears of rice in their hairstyles ( wear it on the right while geisha wear it on the left). These also feature eyeless white doves. The and geisha fill in one eye and ask somebody they like to draw the other for good luck in the coming year.

See also

* Chinese hairpin
*
* Comb
* Hair stick
* Hairpin
* – Chinese combs

References

External links

The kanzashi atelier of Kuniko Kanawa, сertified Edo Tsumami Kanzashi artisan
* , from


Long standing kanzashi site of designer Vivien Hoffpauir.

History of Kanzashi

{{Japanese clothing

Hairdressing
Headgear
Japanese headgear
Japanese words and phrases