近年、パソコンやスマートフォンの普及により、漢字を書く機会が減少したため、読めるけど書けない漢字が増加している。脳を鍛えるために漢字の読み書きを活用することが推奨されており、「傑」や「祭り」などの漢字について学ぶことができる。また、歴史的な背景から髪型の変化、特に江戸時代の女性の美容法や髪型についても解説される。漢字や文化の知識を深めることで、意外な発見や文化の理解が得られるかもしれない。
With the widespread use of computers and smartphones in recent years, opportunities to write kanji by hand have drastically decreased. As a result, there seems to be an increase in kanji that can be read but not written. I sometimes feel that my writing skills have declined despite being able to read kanji.
While reading this article on kanji brain exercises, you can train your brain to read and write kanji. Through this article, learn about the reading, writing, and meanings of kanji to maintain a high level of kanji proficiency.
Introduction to the kanji “傑” in “Kanji Brain Training” session 201. This kanji, read as “コウ,” represents a specific part of the body. Enhance your understanding of kanji by actually reading and writing it.
What does “祭り” mean?
Do you know how to read “ジエ”? It can also be read as “寇”…
The correct answer is…
It is “うなじ.”
In the “Shogakukan Digital Encyclopedia,” it is described as “the back of the neck.” The word “うなじ” is very old and is recorded in the “Nihon Shoki” from the Nara period. As can be understood from expressions like “なずく” and “なだれ,” the word “うな” is considered to mean “neck.”
It is said that it was also called “ウッゼ” in the past.
What is the origin of the kanji “晓”?
The character “祥,” meaning “うなじ,” was originally read as “うな” but has now become “うなじり” to represent the back of the neck.
Changes in Hairstyles
The genital region is considered one of the most attractive parts of a woman’s body. In fact, some people shave or moisturize their genitals to improve their appearance. This word became popular during the Edo period.
Previously, black hair or long hair was a symbol of beauty. Since the Heian period, noble women have grown their hair long to show off their beautiful black hair. At that time, it was common for noble women’s hair to be 30 centimeters longer than their height.
However, as the center of society shifted from nobles to warriors, women’s hairstyles also changed. In the Kamakura period, it is said that there were few people naturally born with long hair, and wigs were necessary to tie up long hair. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, a hairstyle called “karawa” was born, where hair was gathered in a ring at the back of the head.
By the Edo period, the variety of hairstyles increased, and in the early Meiji era, there were over 280 types of women’s hairstyles. When tying hair, “zoning” is as important as the hairstyle itself.
Even today, when women wear kimonos, they may expose their upper body by removing the mon undergarment. This culture is said to have been formed during the Edo period. In order to make their hairstyles more beautiful, women of the Edo period did not neglect their hair care.
Since having fair skin was a prerequisite for beauty at that time, women applied a lot of white powder not only to their faces but also to their necks and chests. There are various methods for applying white powder to the neck, but the cosmetic method for making the shoulders beautiful was introduced in the beauty book “Tokufu Koden” published in 1813.
In ukiyo-e prints, there are many pictures of women checking their hair with a matching mirror, so hairstyles may have been popular at the time.
How was it? Did the introduction of “parts” help broaden your knowledge of kanji? Beautiful things may always attract people’s attention. The Edo period was a time when many cultures that continue to this day were born, so researching other things may lead to surprising discoveries.
Written by Maho Toyota (Kyoto Media Line)
Source materials: “Digital Daijisen” (Shogakukan), “Encyclopedia of Japan” (Shogakukan), “Legend of Makeup and Customs of Edo” (Heibonsha)