36 Why did samurai have such weird haircuts? (All About Topknots/Chommage)

<p>On this episode of <em>Ichimon Japan</em> we ask: Why did samurai have such weird haircuts?</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Topics Discussed<br /></strong></h2> <ul> <li>What a chonmage is</li> <li>The Japanese people's pursuit of  excellence of the hairstyle</li> <li>The historical origins of the topknots in Japan</li> <li>Hats and their connection to the topknot</li> <li>The supposed reason why samurai started using topknots and shaving the front of their heads</li> <li>The chonmage as a status symbol during the Edo Period</li> <li>The most well-known types of chonmage</li> <li>What an ichōmage is</li> <li>What a hondamage is</li> <li>What the sōhatsu style topknot looked like</li> <li>What a chasenmage/chasengami is</li> <li>The supposed etymology of the term chonmage</li> <li>An article stating that some men would pluck their hair and cause themselves to bleed</li> <li>A theory about chonmage as a way to hide baldness</li> <li>The Sanpatsudattōurei (<em>散髪</em>脱刀令) declaration of 1871</li> <li>The Meiji government's efforts to have men cut off their topknots and stop carrying swords</li> <li>How Iwakura Tomomi cut his hair in Chicago</li> <li>What a <em>zangiriatama </em>is</li> <li>The chonmage in modern times in Japan</li> <li>The use of chonmage by sumo wrestlers</li> <li>About <em>tokoyama</em> (床山), the hairstylists of sumo wrestlers</li> <li>How two top ranked tokoyama became tokoyama</li> <li>How much money a tokoyama might earn</li> <li>Topknots in modern day kabuki</li> <li>Whether there are any people in modern day Japan outside of sumo that wear their hair in the chonmage (topknot) style</li> <li>The TV personality Magehira</li> <li>The time consuming process it takes to get your hair in a proper chonmage</li> <li>What a danpatsushiki (散髪式) is (sumo hair cutting ceremony)</li> <li>Kisenosato's danpatsushiki</li> <li>And much more!</li> </ul> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Support on Patreon<br /></strong></h2> <p>If you enjoy <em>Ichimon Japan</em> and want to ensure that we