Comb
1850-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This Japanese hair comb was used by a woman as a decorative hair ornament in a hairstyle that was put up. It is a pair with the hairpin (FE.32-2002), both of which are decorated with the leaves of a trailing plant.
Over the centuries, hairstyles and hair ornaments underwent considerable transformation in Japan. From roughly the twelfth to the late sixteenth centuries, it was customary for women to wear their hair long and loose without ornamentation. Thereafter hair was put up with increasingly elaborate hair ornaments. At first hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite but, from the mid eighteenth century onwards, they were increasingly available to all strata of society. During the Edo period (1615-1868), women used a wide variety of combs (kushi), bodkins or hairpins (kanzashi) and hairpins (kogai) in a wide range of materials, such as wood, ivory and tortoiseshell, which were most commonly decorated with lacquer. Not only did the hairstyle and its ornaments reflected the age, social class and marital status of the woman, but the hair ornaments also reflected the individual’s taste.
Over the centuries, hairstyles and hair ornaments underwent considerable transformation in Japan. From roughly the twelfth to the late sixteenth centuries, it was customary for women to wear their hair long and loose without ornamentation. Thereafter hair was put up with increasingly elaborate hair ornaments. At first hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite but, from the mid eighteenth century onwards, they were increasingly available to all strata of society. During the Edo period (1615-1868), women used a wide variety of combs (kushi), bodkins or hairpins (kanzashi) and hairpins (kogai) in a wide range of materials, such as wood, ivory and tortoiseshell, which were most commonly decorated with lacquer. Not only did the hairstyle and its ornaments reflected the age, social class and marital status of the woman, but the hair ornaments also reflected the individual’s taste.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood with black lacquer inlaid with copper, <i>shibuichi</i> and mother-of-pearl |
| Brief description | Comb, wood with black lacquer inlaid with copper, shibuichi, pearls and mother-of-pearl, decorated with trailing plants, Japanese, c.1900 |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | In the Edo period, women wore elaborate, upswept hairstyles that were sectioned and held in place with paper strips, hairpins and combs of wood, lacquer or much coveted tortoiseshell. Courtesans had the most elaborate arrangements, with multiple hairpins and two combs. Often their hair spread high above the head.
(29/02/2020) |
| Credit line | Given by Fumie Kosuge |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This Japanese hair comb was used by a woman as a decorative hair ornament in a hairstyle that was put up. It is a pair with the hairpin (FE.32-2002), both of which are decorated with the leaves of a trailing plant. Over the centuries, hairstyles and hair ornaments underwent considerable transformation in Japan. From roughly the twelfth to the late sixteenth centuries, it was customary for women to wear their hair long and loose without ornamentation. Thereafter hair was put up with increasingly elaborate hair ornaments. At first hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite but, from the mid eighteenth century onwards, they were increasingly available to all strata of society. During the Edo period (1615-1868), women used a wide variety of combs (kushi), bodkins or hairpins (kanzashi) and hairpins (kogai) in a wide range of materials, such as wood, ivory and tortoiseshell, which were most commonly decorated with lacquer. Not only did the hairstyle and its ornaments reflected the age, social class and marital status of the woman, but the hair ornaments also reflected the individual’s taste. |
| Associated object | FE.32-2002 (Set) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.34-2002 |
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| Record created | August 25, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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