Japanese Women's Hairstyles Through the Ages

Yoko-hyogo - Mountains of hair on top with wings on the sides, late Edo Period

Print by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790s.

Library of Congress, no restrictions

For special occasions, late Edo-era Japanese courtesans would pull out all the stops.

This style is called the yoko-hyogo. A huge volume of hair is piled on top, ornamented with combs, sticks, and ribbons. The sides are waxed into spreading wings. Note that the hair is also shaved back at the temples and forehead, forming a widow's peak.

• Kepatsu - Hair Bound with a Red String, c. 600 A.D.
• Taregami - Long, Straight Hair, c. 794 -1345
• Shimada Mage - Tied-back hair with a comb on top, c. 1650-1780
• Shimada Mage - Tied-back hair with a large comb on top, c. 1750-1868
• Box Shimada Mage - Tied-back hair with a box at back, c. 1750-1868
• Vertical Mage - Hair piled on top, with a comb in front, 1790s
• Yoko-hyogo - Mountains of hair on top with wings on the sides, late Edo Period
• Gikei - Two topknots and many hair tools, Edo Period c. 1804-1808
• Maru Mage - Huge, waxed bun with a bincho spreader, 18th -19th centuries
• Osuberakashi - Simple tied-back hair, with a high front, c. 1850-1912