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Japanese Antique (C.1910) Meiji Era Signed Boxwood Kanzashi Comb Hair Piece

Japanese Antique (C.1910) Meiji Era Signed Boxwood Kanzashi Comb Hair Piece

Regular price $49.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $49.00 USD
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This is a hand made Japanese comb from the late Meiji Era (c. 1910) known as a kanzashi. It was used to stylize women's hair, and was made of Japaneseboxwood. The style of ones hair designated their class in the Edo and Meiji eras. It took time and wax to set and stylize the hair. This type of comb was instrumental in setting and maintaining ones hair.

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.

There is a mark and signature on this comb, (see pictures 6 & 11).

This beautiful boxwood kanzashi measures 9 " long by 1 1/2" wide (23 x 4 cm). It has been in storage for nearly a century and remains in excellent condition .

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