Kanzashi: Japanese hair accessories used as weapons
Women have always fancied accessories for their treasured tresses, starting from hairpins to hairclips and hairbands. If you thought their love affair with these hair embellishments is new, you are wrong. It dates back to ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, and China! With the evolution of society, the type, art, shape, and structure of hairpins have changed. Every civilisation has added its own cultural touch to hairpins for their ladies.
The Japanese women use ‘Kanzashi’, hair accessories with a base made of metal or wood, silk accents, and meticulous designs used to hold complex hairstyles in place. Earlier worn by geisha (female artists), maiko (traditional singers and dancers), and Japanese brides, kanzashi have become a compulsory accessory to be worn with the traditional Japanese outfit Kimono. However, as Japanese women's fashion began to change due to modernisation, the use of kanzashi diversified and decreased too. They are now worn by only traditional brides and professional kimono wearers. But these hairpins have a lot of history attached to them.
Kanzashi and the Chinese influence
During this era, the the Jōmon period (14,000–300 BC), the Japanese women used to wear thin wooden rods or sticks in their hair as protection since it was believed that doing so would ward off evil spirits. Women could wear them in their hair or carry it around with them conveniently. Later on, these sticks were only modified into a stylish accessory because of the Chinese influence.
In one of the Japanese periods known as the Nara period (710–784 AD), several Chinese cultural elements and artifacts were introduced to Japan through mutual trade. Chinese hair pains called ‘Zan’ were among the souvenirs from China that evolved into Kanzashi. More variations of hairstyles and extravagant hair clips came into being during the Azuchi-Momoyama era, the period of Japanese political unification (1574–1600). But the kanzashi have been more than just mystical protectors or hair accessories.
Used as weapons
As Japanese hairstyles evolved during the 17th and 18th century, kanzashi were designed as long and sharp defensive weapons that can be discretely hidden in one's hair. Through the history of Japan, they have been used to fend off attacks and assassinate political rivals.
In the Ryukyu Kingdom (the kingdom ruled over the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 - 1879), both men and women used to wear metallic kanzashi, known as ‘jifa.’ Jifa were once utilised in Ryukyuan martial arts too! In Ryukyu, kanzashi were the only weapons that women could wield! Later on, laws were created that forbade bringing kanzashi into the shogun's (military commanders formally appointed by the emperor) residences since they were considered potentially fatal weapons due to their pointed tips. So, all those killer movies with hairpins you see in Asian movies – they are all inspired from real events!
Types of Kanzashi
As hairstyles evolved, wide varieties of kanzashi were designed. Here’s a look at few of them.
Tama-Kanzashi: It is a popular pin that has a stick with a ball at the end, which may be carved or left plain.
Kanoko Dome: It is made of fabric and is either spherical or tubular in shape and is embellished with anything from pearls and diamonds to flowers. Traditionally, a maiko would place this at the back of her hairdo.
Hana-kanzashi: It is a colourful form of kanzashi that is most frequently connected to Kyoto's maiko (trainee geisha) and represents seasons and colours. The Kushi, which means ‘comb,’ is frequently used in conjunction with Hana kanzashi, which are made of wood. They are simple to insert into the hair and maintain the hair bun in place.
Ogi: Also referred to as princess-style pins, these are typically made of metal. They have a fan-like shape, engravings and impressions and beautiful dangling parts.
Bira-Bira: It is another stunning jewellery pin, sometimes featuring dangling components that jingle in the wind, such as bells.