Headband - Hachimaki

Japanese: 鉢巻 - はちまき

A type of tenugui head wrap. A custom of wrapping a cloth such as a tenugui around the head of the head. In the past, it was also called makkou or mokou. As Nasu no Yoichi is seen wearing a "light pink plum head wrap" in the Genpei Jōsuiki, from the Kamakura period onwards, samurai wore head wraps to keep their spirits up and to prevent their eboshi hats from falling off when they went to battle, so head wraps have long been considered a type of armament. In the Edo period, head wraps with metal fittings on the forehead or chains inside were also made. In response to this, common people made head wraps out of hand towels that they had on hand, folding them into long, thin strips and wrapping them around the head, and tying them at the forehead is called 'kakuhachimaki', and tying them at the back of the head is called 'ōsahachimaki', and twisting them and tucking them under the forehead without tying them is called 'nejirihachimaki'. In addition, the custom of wearing headbands continued in various places until very recently. For example, on the Boys' Day festival, boys wore headbands made from calamus leaves, and people wore cloth headbands when suffering from headaches or other illnesses or when giving birth. Also, women in the Izu Islands wore headbands made from red, purple, or light blue cloth folded in half, called hishu or akatenugui, during ceremonies or when worshiping gods and Buddhas. It can be said that all of these customs attribute a certain spiritual power to the headband. Even today, headbands have an important significance in festivals, performing arts, and production.

[Mizuo Miyamoto]

How to tie a headband
This shows a typical way of tying a headband, especially seen at festivals. It also gives an example of a "Kenka kaburi" (fighting headband), a type of tenugui headband. Mukou headband 1) Fold the tenugui in half to make a long, thin strip, and place the right end slightly longer from the back of the head towards the forehead, then cross it over. 2) Tie the knot so that both ends are pointing upwards. When tying the knot, remove it from the forehead once and then tie it again to make a neater knot. 3) Put it on and shape it. Twisted headband 1) Fold the tenugui in half to make a long, thin strip, and twist it, placing the center against the forehead and crossing it at the back of the head. 2) At the base of the crossed headband, wrap one end around it and hook it, pulling it. 3) Tuck both ends inward from bottom to top. Kuwagata 1) Fold the tenugui in half at the center of the length to make a crease. Place the center part with the crease against the forehead, pull both ends diagonally backwards, and cross them at the back of the head. Wrap the left end around the end that was extended to the right and fold it inward as it is. ② Similarly, fold the left side to the right. ③ Neatly arrange both ends and tuck them away. Fighting head ① Place the center of the tenugui over the center of your forehead and twist tightly while pulling both ends down. ② Cross the twisted ends slightly above the back of your head, then hook one end around the base of the crossed end and pull it. ③ Tuck the hooked part inward, or tie it while still hooked. Wrap the joining part with the lower part of the cloth remaining at the back of your head. Arrange both ends of the tenugui so that they are symmetrical and at the same angle. © Aoki Takashi ">

How to tie a headband

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

手拭(てぬぐい)かぶりの一種。頭の鉢に手拭などの布を巻く習俗。古くは抹額(まっこう)または末額(もこう)ともよんだ。『源平盛衰記(じょうすいき)』に那須与一(なすのよいち)が「薄紅梅の鉢巻しめ」とみえるように、鎌倉時代以降は、武士が軍陣に際して、精神を引き締めると同時に、烏帽子(えぼし)の脱げ落ちるのを防ぐために鉢巻を締めたので、鉢巻は長く武装の一種と考えられていた。江戸時代になると、額のところに金具をつけたり、内部に鎖を仕込んだ鉢巻もつくられている。これに対して庶民は、ありあわせの手拭を利用して鉢巻を行い、細長く折り畳んで頭に巻き、額のところで結ぶのを向こう鉢巻、後頭部で結ぶのを後ろ鉢巻といい、しごいて撚(よ)りをかけ、結ばずに額に挟み込むのをねじり鉢巻といった。このほか、鉢巻をする習俗は、ごく近年まで各地に行われていたが、たとえば、端午(たんご)の節供に男児がショウブの葉を鉢巻にしたり、頭痛その他の病気や出産に際して布の鉢巻をしたりした。またヒッシュ、アカテヌグイなどといって、伊豆諸島の婦人たちは儀式や神仏の参拝に際して、赤、紫、浅葱(あさぎ)などの六尺（約1.8メートル）の布を二つに折った鉢巻をした。これらの習俗は、いずれも鉢巻に一種の霊力を感じているといえよう。なお現在も祭礼、芸能、生産の場において、鉢巻は重要な意義をもっているといえる。

［宮本瑞夫］

鉢巻の巻き方
鉢巻のうち、とくに祭礼でみられる代表的な巻き方を示す。さらに手拭かぶりの一種として「けんかかぶり」の例もあげた。向こう鉢巻①手拭を中あわせにして細長く折り、後頭部から額に向けて右側を少し長めに当て交差させる。②両端が上方を向くようにこま結びをする。結び目をつくる際、一度額から外して結ぶときれいな結び目に仕上がる。③かぶって形を整える。ねじり鉢巻き①手拭を中あわせにして細長く折ってねじり、中心を額に当てて後頭部で交差させる。②そのまま交差させた根元で片方を巻き込むように引っ掛けて引っ張る。③両端をそれぞれ内側に下から上に挟み込む。くわがた①手拭を細長く折り、長方の中央で半分に折って折り目をつける。折り目のついた中央部分を額に当て、両端を斜め後方へ引っ張っり、後頭部で交差させる。　右方へ伸ばした端を、左方を巻き込んでそのまま内側に折り込む。②左も同様にそのまま右方へ折る。③両端をそれぞれきれいに整えてしまい込む。けんかかぶり①手拭の中心を額の中心に当ててかぶり、両端を下に引っ張りながらきつめにねじる。②ねじった両端を後頭部のやや上方で交差させ、そのまま交差させた根元で片方を巻き込むように引っ掛けて引っ張る。③引っ掛けた部分を内側に入れ込むか、あるいは引っ掛けたまま結ぶ。結合部を後頭部に残る下側部分の布で包み込む。手拭の両端が左右対称、同角度に出るように整える。©青木　隆">

鉢巻の巻き方

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