# Samurai Hairstyles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854 "2004-01-31T00:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/1 "2004-01-31T00:08:37Z")
I’m watching an old Kurosawa film with my dad and again am perplexed by the shaved-top-of-the-head hairstyles. It’s not everyone, so is there some cultural significance to who is partially shaved and who is not? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/2 "2004-01-31T01:18:05Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I’m watching an old Kurosawa film with my dad and again am perplexed by the shaved-top-of-the-head hairstyles. It’s not everyone, so is there some cultural significance to who is partially shaved and who is not? Only significance I’m aware of is that only true _samurai_ warriors (or _ronin,_ who were masterless _samurai_) were allowed to wear the topknot. Non-warriors were thus identified by their lack of a topknot. Nothing about shaved or unshaved heads, though. Maybe it’s just individual preference. ---
**Author:** ![Sandlegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@Sandlegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandlegs)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/3 "2004-01-31T01:35:44Z")
at first, the reason for the shaved head just in that area was for the helmet, called kabuto. With all of that hair it was uncomfortable, and it made you cooler, so they shaved the part that the kabuto was resting on. After a while this hairstyle just became popular, even if a samurai did not dress in full armor, called yoroi. i hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/4 "2004-01-31T03:04:14Z")
There was a great number of different hairstyles throughout Japanese history, some featuring top-knots, some not, some with parts of the head shaved and others with a full head of hair. The earliest hairstyle that corresponds to what you’re asking about is called _sakayaki_ (or _tsukishiro_). It appeared at the end of the Heian era (c. 1000 CE) and there are a number of theories about its origin, including the warrior helmet explanation mentioned above. There were a number of variations on the _sakayaki_ style, such as _oo-sakayaki (also known as yaro-mage), han-atama,_ and _nakazori_. [Here’s a slow loading page](http://www.cosmo.ne.jp/~barber/sakayaki.html) that has drawings of those styles. At first, the _sakayaki_ style was indeed used by samurai and nobility but eventually became popular with the common people in the Edo period (1600 - 1850s). Appart from the _sakayaki_ style, there was also the [url=“[http://www.cosmo.ne.jp/~barber/gazou/tyasen1.gif](http://www.cosmo.ne.jp/~barber/gazou/tyasen1.gif)”]chasengami\* style that featured a different type of knot. There was also the _chonmage_ style for older men, that did not have a knot. Originally, _sakayaki_ hair would have had some significance, but eventually it became a matter of personal taste. It might have started for some practical reason but by the Edo period enough people were trying to give themselves noble looks by shaving their head that it was just a fashion statement. I saw old photographs of petty thieves taken in the waning days of Edo period and at least one of the guys had half grown back _sakayaki_ hair, so by that time it was definitely not an upper-class only style. Incidently, these styles were banned in the Meiji era when the samurai caste was abolished. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/5 "2004-01-31T16:40:18Z")
Hey thanks everyone! Most excellent responses. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/6 "2004-01-31T17:43:26Z")
This is a personal observation, not based on any hard data, but male pattern baldness _may_ have helped the hair fashion of samurai ‘evolve’. In modern times, the typical male pattern baldness among Japanese men has led to the ‘bar code’ hairstyle… a few long strands combed over what could otherwise pass for _sakayaki_… so, the samurai were more fashionable than the _sarariman_. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/7 "2004-01-31T19:42:26Z")
On sopme level is disturbs me that we have an expert on Samurai hairstyles on this boad. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-hairstyles/226854/8 "2004-01-31T20:18:39Z")
I’m scared that I actually decided to read it.