Nov 28, 2015
Nihongami: Historical Overview - Part 02A
Historical Time Period: Heian - Momoyama Periods (794-1603 CE)
Hairstyle Name: Mottoi (元結) lit. “Paper Hair Ribbons”
During the Heian period, when a young girl’s hair was growing out to its fullest length, they would use “mottoi” to tie back the hair near her temples in en effort to keep it out of her face. The girl in the red hitoe robe in the first photograph, as well as the girl in the second picture, have cut bangs, which would have been completely unacceptable in the Heian period.