Antique Japanese Kanzashi Hairpiece 18K Gold And Silver On Black Lacquer

This is a vintage kanzashi (hairpiece) which I bought at an antiqued dealers auction in Japan 20 years ago. It was made in the late Meiji Era (c. 1890) of steam bent boxwood with over 20 thin coats of black lacquer.  Makie (raised 18 k. gold and silver) along with some mother of pearl were then inlaid into the lacquer in the form of boxwood flowers and leaves.

A Japanese comb is about much more than just styling your hair. Some 400 years ago, Japan took the simple comb and transformed it into an elegant beauty accessory that became a work of art. Japanese kushi (combs) and kanzashi (hairpins) became expressions of a woman's character, social class, religion, and people could even tell what neighborhood someone lived in by looking at their hair ornaments. According to an ancient Japanese proverb, "A woman's hair is her life" (Kami wa onna no inochi), and from the early 1600's until the beginning of the modern era, decorative combs and kanzashi have been an important part of Japanese fashion.

This kanzashi hairpiecemeasures 4 1/2" long (11.5 cm). Having been lovingly protected for over a century it remains in very fine condition.