Tegara (手絡)

Tegara is a hairdressing cloth to wrap around the topknot of traditional Japanese women's hairstyles. It was once also called "Magekake".

The materials are mostly crepe, brocade for higher-class Samurais, and in the Meiji period a new material appeared which was made with Japanese paper.

Although there were no particular rules, young women and wives often wore Tegaras with Kanokoshibori (a kind of tie-dyeing) in bright colors like red and pink, and older women wore plain Tegaras in calm colors like soft lilac and light blue.

Hair styles to wear Tegara

Otabako Bon (old-time ashtray): Tegara is put between Mages in this style. Momoware (split peach): Tegara is worn between Mages and seen at the bottom part of the split Mages.

Tojin (Chinese people) Mage: Tegara is worn between Mages and seen at the upper and bottom parts of the split Mages. Ware (split) shinobu: Tegara is worn between Mages and seen at the upper and bottom parts of the split Mages. To fix the Tegara a special hair stick called Kanokodome is used.

Yuiwata (tied cotton): it is tied by Tegara at the folding back of Shimada Mage. It is called by different name when Tegara is not used.

Kire (cloth) tenjin: The outer side of Mage is covered by Tegara vertically, but without Tegara it is called Tenjin Mage.

Wari (split) kanoko: it is fixed by Kogai (a kind of hair stick) and Tegara is tied through the Kogai.

Mitsuwa (three rings) Mage/Osafune: the former mostly uses crepe and the latter brocade and those are almost the same style of Mage, but for different women in different positions.

[Original Japanese]