Among the entire population of Japan, samurai in the first place stood out for their original appearance. Their costume and hairstyle caught my eye. Hairstyles were different. It was this or that type of hairstyle that indicated the social status of a person in society. Violation of this gradation had bad consequences. That is why the lower classes had to wear only those hairstyles that were intended only for them. Thus, the highest nobility was different from ordinary samurai. The hairstyle is the hallmark of the samurai in society.
What did the original samurai hairstyle look like?
It should be noted that in ancient times the hairstyle of the Japanese warrior was quite simple. The hair on the head was collected in a strong bun, which was tied with a black cord into one knot at the crown. In some cases, the hair was collected in two bundles and tied in the area of the temples.
After some time, the beads began to shave the front of the head. The new hairstyle has received the laconic name "sakayaki". As a rule, all samurai did this hairstyle after passing the rite - genbuku.
Curl "cobin"
In subsequent years, starting from the first half of the 16th century, one can note the evolution of hairstyles. For example, in the 16th century, samurai wore hairstyles with hair shaved at the forehead and on the crown of the head. But the hair on the temples was absolutely not shaved off. Such a lock of hair was called "kobin". It was the "kobin" that was the key feature of the samurai's hairstyle. If the kobin hung loosely, then all the other hair on the head was collected in a tight bun.
In order to distinguish between samurai and other layers, all artisans and merchants were required to shave off such a curl. At the end of the 16th century, the samurai returned to their old traditions. They just tied a big knot of hair.
This hairstyle was quite practical. She did not require much time, effort, did not close her eyes. With such a hairstyle, it was easy to wear any headdress, in particular a cone-shaped hat.
Samurai beard and mustache
As for the beard or mustache, they were not so popular among the samurai. The hair on the cheeks, chins, forehead samurai shaved almost every day. However, in early times, the beads still launched a beard, mustache, which gave them an image of abomination. Each warrior had to scare away the enemy with his appearance. It was on the basis of such a theory that military face masks were also made, which had a terrifying appearance.
A common type of haircut for beards and mustaches at that time was small tips on the chin and long ends of the mustache. This appearance was not the best and most beautiful. In some cases, the mustache and beard were quite unnatural in color.
What hairstyle did the ronin wear?
The samurai who lost his vassalage and became a ronin wore a completely different hairstyle. He let his hair go long. It was this feature in the image that indicated that the samurai had lost his master-patron.
At the present time, the samurai hairstyle is quite popular. The main secret of its creation is carefully collected hair in one bun. To do this, you need to comb your hair back from your forehead and collect it in the crown area. As a fastener, you should use an elastic band to match the tone of your hair.
See also
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
