Par Creative Museum
La complexité et le raffinement de la culture japonaise se traduit, au niveau de la coiffure, par d’innombrables outils de coiffeur. Nous disons “outil” car le mot “peigne” serait trop restrictif. En effet, pour dresser, draper, nouer les longs cheveux des Japonaises, il faut être coiffeur, mais aussi sculpteur, couturier, parfumeur et décorateur !
Il n’existe pas moins de 200 pièces de bois destinées à cet usage, toutes de formes différentes ; chacune porte un nom particulier et concerne les nombreuses variations des coiffures de geishas, de théâtre kabuki ou même de lutteurs sumo.
Les artisans qui autrefois réalisaient ces peignes, râteaux, fourchettes, égaliseurs, lisseurs, etc, ont maintenant disparu. Les meilleurs d’entre eux ne pouvaient produire plus de trois pièces par jour et le buis qu’ils utilisaient devait sécher au moins deux ans avant d’être travaillé. Cette belle tradition n’a pas survécu à notre monde moderne. Les outils de coiffeur qui subsistent sont donc à conserver précieusement. On est subjugué par la modernité de leurs lignes que ne désavoueraient pas les plus grands créateurs d’aujourd’hui.
On dit qu’un objet est parfait quand on ne peut plus rien lui enlever, ni rien lui rajouter. C’est vraiment le cas ici.
A group of different shape boxwood combs
Two dressing combs with its similar doll combs
Hairdresser doing a traditional Japanese hairstyle
To be a selfless servant, the geisha had to be an artist at beauty and mirage. The back of her neck was powdered, as was her face. The complexity and sophistication of Japanese culture was also reflected by her hair. With the imagination of sculptors, hairdressers designed, perfumed, wrapped, and twisted a geisha’s long hair around the tortoiseshell ornaments collectors cherish, and painters worshiped.
There were no fewer than 200 wood tools made for this purpose. They came in a myriad of different shapes, each bearing a particular name, and were used not only on geishas, but on kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers, as well.
The craftsmen who were making these tools: rakes, forks, equalizers, straighteners, etc., have now disappeared. The best among them could not produce more than three pieces per day. They used boxwood, which had to be dried for at least two years before being worked.
This fine tradition did not survive into our modern world. Barber tools are all that remain to preserve it. However, the modern lines of these ancient tools are prophetic and overwhelming.
One says an object is perfect when you cannot remove anything from it, or add anything to it. As design equals function, a collection of Edo wooden hairstyling tools achieves this rare balance.
Hello,
I am looking to purchase 4 of the larger rake combs. Do you know where I may buy them? In the group of boxwood combs it is center left comb.
Thank you,
Sheryl
http://www.trocadero.com/AsianArtByKyoko/items/1073178/item1073178.html
Here is a set. :-)