Nihongami

Nihongami (日本髪, lit. 'Japanese hair') 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 nihongami 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 nihongami were hardened and shaped with wax, known as abura, 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 takamakura.

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

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 (源氏物語, Genji monogatari) describes women showing off their long, flowing hair.

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