Samurai Haircuts

[Dojorat]

Greetins,

A student of mine was asking why samurai would shave their foreheads.

I don't know. It was conjectured that it might be similar to Alexander the Great's edict against beards as a way to prevent the hair from being grabbed and used for leverage while maintaining the integrity of a top knot.

That idea doesn't seem to hold up when we consider the samurai were wearing helmets and other headgear which would seem to prevent the grabbing of hair.

So, come on E-Budo! Help me impress my students with my wealth of knowledge of things martial :-)

Cheers,

[John Lindsey]

I seem to recall that part of the reason was to let the air flow better when you have a helmet on, keeping you a bit cooler I guess.

[hyaku]

Originally posted by Dojorat
Greetins,

A student of mine was asking why samurai would shave their foreheads.

I don't know. It was conjectured that it might be similar to Alexander the Great's edict against beards as a way to prevent the hair from being grabbed and used for leverage while maintaining the integrity of a top knot.

Cheers,

Stopped the helmet form slipping from side to side. Also it was more difficult to detect the age of the person.

Hyakutake C

[socho]

Fashion and styles were often dictated by the royal family or other powerful personages. For example, a member of the royal family had rotten teeth. Court fashion became blackened teeth. Perhaps an early important samurai had 'male-pattern baldness', hence, shaved heads with top-knot (comb-over?). May also have had to do with hygiene. Short (or no) hair is a definite plus if you are in the field (training, fighting, marching, etc).

Some interesting suppositions, but the truth was that the shaved forehead started as a way to comfortably wear the helmet during long campaigns, then became fashionable.

Married women blackening their teeth was a fashion imported from China.

[Mollberg]

NO NO NO I always herd it was a sign of humility, one more way to show loyalty to your master...that’s why ronin grew there's out! Although the bald thing was probably the start on it!!!!!

This is the way myths get started, with someone repeating what they heard as fact. Actually, the shaved forehead was definitely started because it was more comfortable under a helmet. Ronin didn't need to shave their head anymore, since they served a daimyo no longer, they were unlikely to wear a helmet. You might want to check your facts before you state your opinion.

[Tom Davidson]

I'm not sure this has anything to do with helmets.

It is, I think, more a style thing. Nearly all men in medieval Japan wore their foreheads shaved, even peasants, and the hair combed and tied in a queue, not just samurai. The most common was a long plait looped forward and back, or the simpler style with hair tied up in a top-knot (tea whisk) style. Nearly all Japanese cultural styling originated in China, so maybe there is an answer there.

Boys had the foreheads shaved as part of the coming of age ceremony. 'Pages in forelock' is a term used to describe a boy in service to his lord, who has not yet reached manhood.

When in armour, I believe the hair was worn loose, with a headband, under the helmet. You can see in old prints bare-headed warriors with their hair blowing wild and free, presumably having lost(?) the helmet etc in the fray. There is a fantastic print of Nitta Yoshisada (bareheaded) cleaving a helmeted head in two with his sword, so maybe he didn't rate helmets anyway. Or maybe he was just plain mad (he certainly looks it in the print).

I have read that beards were worn because it eased the chaffing of the helmet cords against the skin, but that Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't like beards, so most of his retainers were clean-shaven!

I'll look on my 'library shelf' for more info.

Tom

[Ulf Lehmann]

I mean the wearing of a helmet was ONE of the origins of a shaved forehead. An other fact of the Sakayaki (tonsure) was the status and membership of a class-system.
First, only samurai wear this fashion with the little pigtail, named Mage. It was fashionable after the 15. century by bushi-class and was very often copied by merchants and others in edo-period (samurai wear the hair in long styles and various forms since ancient times - knots, tails ...) There was a lot of various fashion styles of the tonsure. Different ages - different fashion. Young samurai wear the hair in other forms as the old. If the young man have had the initiation-ritual they shaved the forehead-hair at the first time (more or less of 15 years old boys).
What do you need to maintain such a exclusive hairfashion? Money for the hairdresser, time to create it and a nice lifestyle in peacetime - luxury in historical times.
I believe the Sakayaki is a mix from practical use, fashion and status. So I see also the rude hairfashion of the Ronin.


Regards,
Ulf Lehmann

[socho]

Tom and Ulf,
Good stuff, thanks for the additional background information. (I still like my 'comb-over'theory :) ) Just goes to show there's always more to learn.

theory
Originally posted by budokai
...You might want to check your facts before you state your opinion.

Sheesh, lighten up.

[Dojorat]

Greetins,

At the risk of escalating a rapid transthread...

I, for one, have never let facts get in the way of my opinions.

Cheers,

[Nathan Scott]

Hi,

I've always been told that the shaved head is to stabilize the fit of the kabuto (helmet). I've never found an antique kabuto that fits me own melon, but the mounting method of the kabuto seems to support this theory.

Ogasawara ryu tradition of etiquette was created by a Samurai for the Samurai, and as such eventually became the form of etiquette adopted by virtually all of Japan. I've noticed (thus far) that all etiquette has a reason, if not tactical then superstition/manner based.

Part of the "samurai etiquette" is the emphasis that a bushi should be ready/zanshin at all times, and never provide perceivable openings at any time. So keeping the head shaved would naturally be symbolic of being Samurai and demonstrate that the wearer is prepared for battle at any given time should their employer call upon them.

So like many things, it would seem likely that the shaved head (even on boys coming of age) was something fashionable based off of proper samurai etiquette.

BTW, I think the term "Chomage" is more common that "Mage" when referring to a top knot. I don't know the name of the tea wisk style, but the ones that high ranked Sumo wrestlers wear is called "Oichomage" (ginko leaf knot), and is quite similar in appearance if not the same.

Regards,


[Edited by Nathan Scott on 07-18-2000 at 01:18 PM]

[Ulf Lehmann]

Hi,

BTW, I found some informations about japanese classical hairstyles in a book of samurai history:

...one was called chasen-gami, because of a fanciful resemblance to the bamboo tea-whisk...
...was to gather the oiled hair into a long narrow cylindrical queue at the back, bend it forward and then back again, and tie it in place (Mitsu-ori)...
...a variation of this style (Futatsu-ori), two fold, where the queue was bent forward only, over the sakayaki...

Heh, Nathan - I believe the first is the old name of the "Oichomage" of your message?

Regards,

Ulf Lehmann

[Nathan Scott]

Hi Mr. Lehmann,

I was curious which book of Samurai history you were using to reference the chomage names?


Heh, Nathan - I believe the first is the old name of the "Oichomage" of your message?

Hmmm, maybe. But the more I think about it the more I suspect they are a little different. The Oichomage is sort of a flattened, crescent shaped tea wisk, where as the Chasen-gami you mention I believe is much fatter, and more round.

It would be interesting to learn more about he chomage and why different styles were worn, and the purpose of being centered on top of the head (in most cases). I've never seen a detailed examination of this before.

BTW, interestingly, "Sakayaki" turns out to be the term for the shaven part of the head, according to me trusty jiten. "Mitsu-ori" and "Futatsu-ori" simply refers to whether the top knot is folder over three times (folded over and back again) or twice (folded over) respectively, and are probably more general terms as opposed to specific names for knot styles.

Regards,


[Edited by Nathan Scott on 07-18-2000 at 05:56 PM]

[Lil Dave]

I have a friend who is growing his hair out. Both he and I are very into Japan, so I'll try to convince him to shave the top, and then we'll test the helmet theory. What do you think about that? If I can get him to do it, I'll post pictures.

[Ulf Lehmann]

Hi Mr. Scott,
(First: sorry, if I say "Nathan" in the last message - but I think a forum is more familiar...)
____________________________________

I was curious which book of Samurai history you were using to reference the chomage names?
____________________________________

Well, it´s from "Samurai Armies 1550-1615" by R. Turnbull. I hope the infos of this book are right. There are also other topics - but only in ordinary descriptions...

Regards,
Ulf Lehmann

[Mitch Saret]

You mean people actually shave to get the tops of their heads to look like mine does naturally?

Will wonders never cease! :D