Japanese Kanzashi Hair Combs and Accessories

JAPANESE KANZASHI HAIR ACCESSORIES.I am not an expert on Japanese hair gebs nor do I read Japanese! However I have traded some very beautiful examples in the six years I have been selling on okay and have gee to appreciate their unique beauty and variety. Having traded in these miniature works of art made me want to do more
research on them. This guide is the result of that research. It does
not pretend to be other than an overview of what is available.But first a little about the history of these fascinating objects!Some 400 years ago, Japan took the simple hair geb and transformed it into an elegant beauty accessory that became a work of art. Japanese kushi (gebs) and kanzashi (hairpins) became expressions of a womans character, social class and marital status. Until the beginning of the modern era, decorative gebs and hairpins, known by the collective name of kanzashi, have been an important part of Japanese fashion and social culture.Western style jewelry such as rings, necklaces and bracelets was not worn in Japan until the modern era. Instead, women decorated their hair. The elaborate hairstyles (mage), of the Edo (1600 1868) period required a tremendous amount of time and money to maintain. Indeed the value of what a woman wore in her hair often far exceeded even the cost of the beautiful silken and embroidered kimono she wore on her back. Hair was so important that it came to symbolize nearly every facet of her existence. Looking at a womans hairstyle, you could tell what social class she belonged to, whether she was married or single, her age, and whether she had any children. In this way hair ornaments played an important role in the female wardrobe. Hair accessories were often given as gifts. Until the late 19th century Japan had remained isolated from European influences. However the opening of Japan to the West in 1868 created a new stimulus for Japanese artists. The influence of characteristics of Western art and the demands of the Western market both played a significant part in the re-interpretation of traditional aesthetics values. Therefore traditional forms and techniques were given new guise in the creation of items more suited to the customers of the Western market. HAIRDRESSINGKanzashi first appeared during the Edo period, when women adopted the elaborately coiffured nihongami hairstyles. Early hairstyles consisted of elaborate forepart, side locks and back hair, dressed separately. It took hours for a female hairdresser to set the hair into the elaborate traditional nihongami hairstyle. So to keep the arrangement as long as possible the wearer would use as a pillow a small lacquered or wooden stand topped by a soft pad which fitted under the neck without disarranging the coiffure.1: Elaborate traditional hairdressing with many ornaments including geb (kushi) hairstick (kogai) and kanzashi.