The Tachibana Kuzushi

So how is this Nihongami different from the last one we examined? One can see the similarity is prominent. We have the hallmarks of the Tachibana with the incorporated fruits and flowers, very cute and poetic but there seems to be one thing missing, one little detail that makes this hairstyle unique; The little hairbridge that goes down the mage that is also a feature of the Osome and adds to its childlike and flirty allure is not a part of this more sophisticated hairstyle. And before you ask: Yes, this is a Shinzo-Hairstyle. Let’s dive in again into the lives of these women, ladies destined to be great Tayuu or to be forgotten nameless props in their retinue.

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Imagine the life of a Bandou-Shinzo: You are probably in your early twenties and have grown up in the pleasure quarters. Maybe you were one of the lucky ones who survived their tenure as Kamuro, outrunning diseases, cruel treatment and other hazards faced by girls living in a competitive environment. Even though the general consensus of historians is that Kamuro lived sheltered and pampered lives, who can say for sure? What is evident is that of the two or more Kamuro in the Tayuu’s service only one could be the best to take over her elder sisters reigns. What happened to the other girls in the Tayuu’s retinue is unknown as they were not considered important enough to get a voice let alone a say in their future. Back to our scenario though.

You have been deemed not talented or pretty enough to become a Tayuu but your training didn’t stop there and then. Your years observing your Tayuu-sister must have had some good and to simply throw you into the cage of lowly yuujo would have not been a great return on investment for your boss, the brothel owner. As a teen you had taken on your first customers and were now earning your own money but you still had a more important function in the Tayuu’s service. You had to coordinate her appointments, her parades, her entourage. When you woke up in the mornings you saw to it that the Tayuu sobered up, got to the baths and got some studies in, maybe some practice in singing or the musical instruments she was so prolific in. The Kamuro had to be rallied up and had to get their chores distributed, the lower ranking Shinzo too. If your Tayuu-nesan was a busy girl, this might be a full time job for you. And if so, you were definitely lucky enough to not need to sleep with clients yourself.

But since the floating world has always run on hard cash, the chances that you got to live your life as a personal assistant to the Tayuu was as slim as the Tayuu’s chances of getting out of her contract. To be fair, being a Bandou-Shinzo did come with some prestige and you could cash in on the popularity of your Tayuu-nesan. But as mentioned in earlier posts, the life of a Tayuu was short and full of tears and you might see some of them not make it for long. There are accounts of very young Tayuu, only 15 or 16 relying on the expertise of the Bandou-Shinzo in the sexual field too. Bandou-Shinzo knew the clients and knew what they wanted to hear, they could demand their Tayuu-nesan to work harder to keep their luxurious lifestyle afloat. So in some cases there was indeed a two-way conversation going on between these women.

In our scenario, you got to live to your mid thirties or Forties so naturally you would likely not have your hair set in the Tachibana Kuzushi anymore. This youthful hairstyle was your trademark in the beginning of your career but now you had to tone down your look with age. But your Tenure as Bandou-Shinzo was coming to an end too and there might be another path for you as a Yarite or as a scout or headhunter, maybe a maid or handmaiden. You had seen the seasons change in the pleasure quarters. Had seen the fleeting beauty of spring, the fireworks of summer, the gorgeous colors of autumn. The delicate frost of winter was coming up.

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