When you see samurai’s hair, you might have wondered why their heads are half-bald, right?
This extra-ordinary hairstyle is called chonmage, in which the hair above the forehead is partly shaved and the rest of the hair is tied up.
Today we discuss reasons why samurai warriors have this unique hairstyle!
History and function of chonmage
The chonmage hairstyle was introduced in Nara era, and only samurai warriors followed that hairstyle.
Therefore, chonmage was considered as a special hairstyle for the samurai warriors, but actually the hairstyle was also followed by other Japanese in that era.
What makes samurai’s chonmage and other people’s chonmage different is the shape, which is usually adjusted to their social status.
Since samurai warriors were considered as the society’s upper class, chonmage eventually became a symbol of social status.
Many artists also portrayed the lower class with messy hair back then.
Then, what is the function of chonmage?
Samurai warriors use kabuto; a helmet made of iron when fighting, and chonmage was made to keep the kabuto from falling off and to protect the head from sunlights. This proves Japan has always been an innovative country!
Chonmage in the modern era
In the modern era, chonmage is considered as an old trend, but you can still see this unique hairstyle when watching a sumo match. Sumo wrestlers’ long hair are tied up like a chonmage; what makes them different is that the top of their heads are not bald like samurai warriors.
Sumo wrestlers with higher status usually have oicho-style chonmage, where the ends of the top bonds are shaped like a fan.
If you are interested in trying chonmage hairstyle, how about trying the modern version of it, which is also known as samurai bun hairstyle, which actually looks great if it fits into your face shape.
Well, now you know what chonmage is, right? After knowing the history and function of chonmage, are you now interested in trying that hairstyle?
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