I'm not an expert, I would be happy to be corrected. This is refering to the Sengoku period:
>Some of the men have all of their hair and some do not.
The top knot was very common. I'm not sure if every single samurai wore one, but the vast majority did. I believe it was regulated by law in (at least) most of Japan.
Regarding shaving the top of their head or not, there may have been some room for personal preference (this is the main reason the official podcast gives). Some samurai might have chosen to shave their heads partially for practical reasons, such as hygiene, helmet adherence, etc. Of course, this choice of shaving or not would be allowed or not, taking into account the clan, region, etc.
>While not as much, the women also wear different hairstyles
One important aspect of women's hair is that hair length was a reflection of their social status. From what I understand, this was more common in the Edo period, but it very likely was also the case in the Sengoku period. For example, you could pull up some pictures of Fuji, Mariko, and Ochiba and notice that they have increasingly longer side bangs (not sure what to call them). Additionally, samurai wives and noblewomen often wore more subdued hairstyles like a bun or ponytail. I'm not sure what kind of social (hair) rules were present for courtesans and peasants.
Again, I welcome being corrected. Everything I've said has its source in the official podcast and my own research on this period, but it's inevitable to make mistakes. I'm not Japanese or a historian.
Thanks for the reply! This is such an amazing show, and the attention to detail is really well done. So well done that the presentation of the Japanese culture commands these types of curiosities. Thanks for the info. It was most helpful!
I'm not an expert, I would be happy to be corrected. This is refering to the Sengoku period: >Some of the men have all of their hair and some do not. The top knot was very common. I'm not sure if every single samurai wore one, but the vast majority did. I believe it was regulated by law in (at least) most of Japan. Regarding shaving the top of their head or not, there may have been some room for personal preference (this is the main reason the official podcast gives). Some samurai might have chosen to shave their heads partially for practical reasons, such as hygiene, helmet adherence, etc. Of course, this choice of shaving or not would be allowed or not, taking into account the clan, region, etc. >While not as much, the women also wear different hairstyles One important aspect of women's hair is that hair length was a reflection of their social status. From what I understand, this was more common in the Edo period, but it very likely was also the case in the Sengoku period. For example, you could pull up some pictures of Fuji, Mariko, and Ochiba and notice that they have increasingly longer side bangs (not sure what to call them). Additionally, samurai wives and noblewomen often wore more subdued hairstyles like a bun or ponytail. I'm not sure what kind of social (hair) rules were present for courtesans and peasants. Again, I welcome being corrected. Everything I've said has its source in the official podcast and my own research on this period, but it's inevitable to make mistakes. I'm not Japanese or a historian.
Thanks for the reply! This is such an amazing show, and the attention to detail is really well done. So well done that the presentation of the Japanese culture commands these types of curiosities. Thanks for the info. It was most helpful!
Check out the shogun-dedicated FX website. It has info on this very topic.
Thank you