4 Vintage Japanese Lacquer Kanzashi Hair Pins. 

Size: (longest) 6 1/2 in. 

#3965 . 

Kanzashi are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. The term kanzashi refers to a wide variety of accessories, including long, rigid hairpins, barrettes, fabric flowers, and fabric hair ties. In the English-speaking world, the term kanzashi is typically used to refer to hair ornaments made from layers of folded cloth used to form flowers (tsumami kanzashi), or the technique of folding used to make the flowers. Kanzashi were first used in Japan during the Jōmon period, which is also when traditional Japanese hair combs (tokigushi or kushibi) first appeared. During that time, the wearing of a single thin rod or stick was considered to hold powers to ward off evil spirits, with people wearing them in their hair for protective purposes. During the Nara period a variety of Chinese cultural aspects and items were brought to Japan through mutual trade and envoys, including Chinese hairpins and combs that heavily influenced the Japanese style. During the Heian period hairstyles shifted from being worn up to being worn long and tied back relatively low. During this time period the term kanzashi began to be used as a general term for any and all hair ornaments, rather than specifically combs and hairpins. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, hairstyles changed from the taregami (“hair hanging down”) style, to the wider variety of styles worn up, predecessors of modern nihongami styles, which made more use of hair ornaments. Kanzashi came into its widest use during the Edo period, when hairstyles became larger and more complicated, using an increasing number of ornaments. Artisans began to produce more finely crafted products, including some hair ornaments that could be used as defensive weapons. During the latter part of the Edo period, the craftsmanship of kanzashi is considered to have reached its zenith, with a number of styles and designs created that persist to the modern day. Today traditional Japanese hairstyles are not commonly worn, typically being utilized only by geisha, maiko, sumo wrestlers, brides, modern tayū and oiran re-enactors, with some using pre-styled wigs instead of their own hair to avoid the complication. In 1982 tsumami kanzashi were officially designated as a traditional Japanese handcrafts in the Tokyo region. The remaining professional kanzashi craftspeople typically undergo a five to ten year apprenticeship to learn the trade. As of 2010 there were only five individuals left solely devoted to the art form.