Japanese Hair Accessories

Japanese hair accessories were built for the kimono, when an updo needed holding and the hair was the only place left to put colour. The kanzashi is the stick: dark wood, tapering, with a flower at the head. The tsumami kanzashi is the clip with folded-cloth petals and hanging strands that sway, the ornament of the maiko. And the hachimaki is not for the hair at all but for the head: the headband with a red sun and two brushed characters that means you are about to try very hard. Four pieces here, and this page is about what each one is for and how it goes in.

Kanzashi: the stick and the clip

The stick kanzashi is a single tapered pin in a dark polished wood, with a flower carved in a coloured stone-look resin at the head, gold leaves and a tassel of beads that hangs and moves; five colours. It goes through a bun or a twist and holds it alone, the way a chopstick would but with a flower showing. The pair of hair sticks in a marbled tortoiseshell-effect resin with a turned finial, in brown, pink, white or black, do the same job in two and cross at the back. The tsumami kanzashi is the clip: three cloth flowers folded petal by petal, the maiko's craft, on a fan-shaped base with green leaves, pearl centres and two hanging strands of petals ending in gold bells, in four colours. It clips above the ear or at the side of an updo and the strands move when you turn your head. A kimono or yukata is what they were made for; a plain dress and a bun is what they are worn with now.

Hachimaki: the headband

A long strip of smooth cloth with a red sun disc at the centre and a brushed character on either side, tied at the back of the head with the ends left hanging. Black with the characters for victory, or white with the characters for ninja. It is worn by festival teams, by students before an exam, by cooks and by anyone who has decided to do something properly, and it goes with a happi coat at a matsuri or with a white tee and nothing else on a day that needs it.

How to put a kanzashi in

Twist the hair into a bun or a loose coil and hold it with one hand. Push the stick in at an angle from one side, catching the hair against the scalp, turn it, and push it through to the other side; the flower should sit at the top. Two sticks go in crossed. The tsumami clip opens at the back and clips into the hair above the ear or at the base of the updo, strands hanging forward. The hachimaki ties in a single knot at the back, sun centred on the forehead.

Care

Wipe the wood and the resin; brush the cloth flowers and keep them dry, since folded cloth does not like water. The hachimaki washes cold. Made to Japanese designs in Asia, and every page says so.

Japanese hair accessories: the questions we are asked

What is a kanzashi?

The Japanese hair ornament: a stick, a comb or a clip that holds an updo and carries a flower. The stick is the everyday one; the folded-cloth clip is the maiko's.

Will one stick hold my hair?

A bun or a twist, yes, if it is pushed through at an angle against the scalp. Fine or short hair takes the pair.

What does the hachimaki say?

Victory on the black one, ninja on the white one, in two brushed characters either side of the red sun.

Can I wear these without a kimono?

Yes. A kanzashi in a bun with a plain dress is how they are worn most, and the hachimaki has never needed a kimono.