Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Japan influence

As I was starting to morph into Justin Bieber I though it about time I made a trip to Shibata for a haircut last Sunday. The sun decided to show its face so I went for a wee wander around some of my favorite shrines where I came upon this chap.


Turns out he is the Samurai Shibata Sama after whom the town is named. I am sure he did many great things in his lifetime but as my ability to read Kanji is nowhere near good enough to read his information board I was left to admire the mans fashion, most notably his hat. Though this picture doesn't really show the height of his conical head gear (I am short and his plinth was pretty tall) I assure you he was sporting the pointed equivalent of an Abraham lincoln.

We in Scotland do love a cone hat as can easily be observed on a stroll through the streets of Glasgow where the Duke has become a tourist attraction due to his love of a good hat.



Edinburgh's David Hume tried a similar look but without the same degree of success.



This made me think that maybe our very own Shibata Sama was the muse behind the latest hats on show by Dsquared.



The reason I was so taken by Mr. Samurai's hat is because it s quite rare for samurai to wear hats (with the exception of their rocking helmets which will warrant it's own blog in the near future) as the hat would mess up their hairstyle, know as the Chonmage.



This hairstyle is still worn by Sumo in Japan.



Indeed the Chonmage may be the inspiration behind this hat also on show during fashion week.



Or perhaps the milliner behind this creation has, at some point on their travels, stumbled upon the annual summer festival in Kanto Japan where a willy hat would be the perfect accessory.




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