This name is chosen for many hairstyle that have a part hanging in the back, be it a ponytail or a whole lower part of the hair. Very reminiscent of Muromachi styles, dating between 1336–1573, it is one of the most archaic, the most alien of Tayuu Nihongami. And throughout history, it has been a part of various trends at the courtly villas, it has been revived many times because it has been so connected with courtly visuals. The Sagegami has been recycled so frequently that it indeed feels modern again: Wild and loose with free and long flowy hair, like we wear our long hairstyles these days on a casual Friday… Or is it?
I could not find any modern Tayuu wearing this hairstyle. Some pictures of real Tayuu in Sagegami i could have taken from the famous book “Kamigata no Sekai” by Tetsuo Ishihara. But i refrained from this route. And then there are some images by Tayuu Henshin below where we can have a closer look:
Source: Mnk.Kimune on Instagram
The eyecatcher of the Nihongami is without a doubt the huge and unusual ornaments. Paper decorations in Nihongami, paper morning glory kanzashi for example, are not unique but they are seldom featured in this size. The two figures are celebratory butterflies.
Considered to be one of the oldest Origami motifs and varying in formality, there are no set rules as to which level of complexity is considered appropriate. They were originally used to adorn Sake bottles during Shinto wedding ceremonies just as the golden Mizuhiki strings. Decorative ties for ceremonial letters, also used for weddings as well as new years celebrations. The Mizuhiki are said to have been used to tie the Butterflies to the Sake bottles, so it’s a cute addition to the Sagegami too. The female Mecho and male Ocho Butterfly-pair on Sake bottles represent the newly-wed couple but in the Tayuu Sagegami, there are two female Mecho butterflies...
Many times we have drawn parallels between matrimonial customs and Tayuu visuals. This symbol, along with many others proves the point that Tayuu were always considered either married to their patrons for the night, or married to their art, or as we will examine further: Married to their imouto.
Before we proceed, here are some more impressions of the stunning do:
Source: Hanasugate on Ameblo
It’s not a preference to feature Henshin in this series as i don’t want a casual observer to get confused. I would have loved to feature a member of the Karyukai wear this extraordinary Nihongami.
And then this picture stopped me in my tracks, it was uploaded just recently, in commemoration of the many memories of past Obake and Setsubun celebrations. It features retired Gion Kobu Geiko Suzuko, on of my absolute favorite Geimaiko during her apprenticeship while wearing the Sagegami for Obake and got me interested into writing about Nihongami again. It’s just so much more interesting to me to write about living tradition.
Source: Hagi_nonnon on Instagram
So now we have collected these scraps of visual representation, let’s look at the little we do know about this elusive Nihongami.
It is easily one of the most elaborate and expensive hairstyles for Tayuu and rightly so as its origins can be traced back to women of the Samurai class but also to the Kuge-class, that contrary to the Buke-class, was increasingly made up of learned nobility and intellectuals. So naturally, to impress this most prestigious of clients, one very intelligent Tayuu must have devised this style according to her patron’s tastes.
Now, it’s blindingly obvious that this hairstyle was not created for everyday use. Even compared to the more intricate, the more festive and sacred Nihongami, this one stands out. It has been considered to be the last hairstyle worn by a Tayuu when she retired. And this might be still true today, indicated by the fact that we have not ever seen a Tayuu wear this Nihongami in the wild, not even during the April dochu, their most important public procession. But we don’t know for sure, ti has yet to be seen.
One account “The Nightless City” states that the Sagegami would have been worn by a Tayuu when she accompanied her debutante imouto during her Misedashi, or Tsukidashi, as it was known in the Yoshiwara. The great onesan would sport a new and very intricate hairdo everyday for over a week in commemoration of her apprentice’s debut while the little one would style her hair in a comparably pigeony Shimada. One of these Nihongami would be the Sagegami, and it would habe been worn on the last day of the procession as a sign that the string of debut visits was coming to an end. And what a way to go, right? With this dramatic look, the bond between the Tayuu sisters, the white butterfly and the red butterfly was put on display, everyone knew now that the nameless Shinzo would become a gorgeous butterfly like her onesan, this was a testament. And it was a promise from one Tayuu to another, at least to the world they lived in.
Once the tradition of the Tsukidashi faded, the debutante was escorted by her Yarite and so the new Tayuu naturally got the rights to the outrageous hairstyles while the Yarite remained in the background. But examining the original tradition of a Tayuu introducing her apprentice herself, it was actually quite clever for her to be wearing the flashy hair as she was already a star, she was known entity and it was commonly accepted that she would rub off some of her splendor on her little sister.
Nevertheless, i can’t help but think that it was a strange signal to display, like a bride being upstaged by the mother of the bride at her own wedding, it seems in poor taste. But on the other hand, this was a world driven by competition, visual cues and money. A new girl might have been inspired by the splendor of her onesan during these processions and to the public, it might have hinted to the wealth surrounding these particular girls, to their great success as Tayuu. But i also feel touched by this commemoration of sisterly bond in a world designed to cater to men. Since it is such a loaded Nihongami, figuratively and literally, i can also understand why modern Tayuu have refrained from recreating it as not to cause any confusion for the initiated patrons. But still, it’s a gorgeous Hairstyle, the peak of Tayuu luxury in my opinion. Maybe one day we will se it worn, hopefully on the lucky day of a new debut. That would indeed be just as awe-inspiring as the Sagegami itself.
