thumb|upright|A 19th-century [[samurai with a ]]
The is a type of traditional Japanese topknot haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo period (1603–1868) and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers. It was originally a method of using hair to hold a samurai kabuto helmet steady atop the head in battle, and became a status symbol among Japanese society.
In a traditional Edo-period , the top of the head is shaved. The remaining hair was oiled and waxed before being tied into a small tail folded onto the top of the head in the characteristic topknot.
History
thumb|upright|A Japanese barbershop in the 19th century
The origins of the can be traced back to the Heian period (794–1185). During this period, aristocrats wore special cap-like crowns as part of their official clothing. To secure the crown in place, the hair would be tied near the back of the head.
Between the 1580s (towards the end of the Warring States period, 1467–1615) and the 1630s (the beginning of the Edo period, 1603–1867), Japanese cultural attitudes to men's hair shifted; where a full head of hair and a beard had been valued as a sign of manliness in the preceding militaristic era, in the ensuing period of peace, this gradually shifted until a beard and an unshaven pate were viewed as barbaric, and resistant of the peace that had resulted from two centuries of civil war. This change was also enforced during the Japanese invasion of Joseon (1592–1598), where some Japanese commanders forced the submitted Koreans to shave their heads to this hairstyle, as a method of converting their identities to that of Japanese. Ronin, samurai who did not serve a Lord, were not required to shave their heads. This became an easy way to identify such men. effectively abandoning the .
Sumo
thumb|left|upright|Modern sumo wrestler [[Tochiazuma Daisuke|Tochiazuma with an -style ]]
In modern Japan, the only remaining wearers of the are sumo wrestlers and kabuki actors. Given the uniqueness of the style in modern times, the Japan Sumo Association employs specialist hairdressers called to cut and prepare sumo wrestlers' hair.
The sumo style of the is slightly different, in that the pate is no longer shaved. However, the hair may be thinned in this region or the crown of the head shaved, called , to allow the topknot to sit more neatly. This is done around once every three months.
The is of such symbolic importance in sumo that snipping it off is the centerpiece of a wrestler's retirement ceremony. Dignitaries and other important people in a wrestler's life are invited to take one snip, with the final one taken by his trainer. For most wrestlers who never reached a rank, his retirement ceremony will be the only time he wears the more elaborate .
See also
- List of hairstyles
- or , the traditional Chinese topknot
- Oseledets
- Queue, the Qing-dynasty Chinese hairstyle also involving a shaved pate