Karawa Hairstyle (唐輪)

The karawa hairstyle was a hairstyle favored by prostitutes during the Azuchi Momoyama period in the port towns of Hyogo and Sakai City in the vicinity of Kyoto.

It originally came from the women's hairstyles in the Ming Dynasty, which was one of the developed countries at that time. The forelocks were parted right in the middle and plaits of hair gathered above the head into two to four loops. Then, the remaining hair at the base of the hairstyle was plaited and worn up.

This hairstyle also appears in material written by a female kabuki actress. It is known that the hairstyle gained popularity at the time amongst young people.

[Original Japanese]