During the Heian Era of Japanese history, from about 794 to 1345 A.D., Japanese noblewomen rejected Chinese fashions and created a new style sensibility.
The fashion during this period was for unbound, straight hair -- the longer, the better! Floor-length black tresses were considered the height of beauty.
This illustration is from the "Tale of Genji" by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu. The eleventh-century "Tale of Genji" is considered to be the world's first novel, depicting the love-lives and intrigues of the ancient Japanese Imperial court.
