ちょんまげ
ちょんまげ
noun
topknot, samurai hairstyle
1.
topknot, samurai hairstyle
A traditional Japanese male hairstyle where the hair is gathered and tied into a knot on top of the head. Historically worn by samurai and now by sumo wrestlers.
力士はちょんまげを結っている。
Sumo wrestlers wear their hair in a topknot.
江戸時代の武士はちょんまげが一般的だった。
The topknot was common among samurai in the Edo period.
引退した力士がちょんまげを切る儀式は断髪式と呼ばれる。
The ceremony where a retired sumo wrestler cuts off his topknot is called a danpatsushiki.
KANJI:
Can be written as 丁髷, but the hiragana form is standard.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The ちょんまげ was the standard hairstyle for adult males during the Edo period (1603-1868). After the Meiji Restoration, the government issued the 散髪脱刀令 (1871), encouraging men to cut their topknots. Today, the ちょんまげ survives primarily in sumo wrestling, where active wrestlers are required to wear their hair in this style. The 断髪式 (topknot-cutting ceremony) marks a wrestler's retirement.
RELATED TERMS:
- 大銀杏: the formal topknot style worn by senior sumo wrestlers
- 断髪式: topknot-cutting ceremony