Vintage Japanese Kanzashi Geisha Style Hairpin Mimikaki Ball Style Wood 6"

This is a vintage  kanzashi (hairpin). This one is in the straight ball ended mimikaki style. It is fine carved wooden shape is covered with 20 coats of red lacquer. The ball is adorned with bamboo and paper cranes. 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 hairpiece measures 6" long (15 cm). Having been lovingly protected for years it remains in very fine condition.