Post by Ki no Kotori on Nov 20, 2014 15:16:46 GMT -5
This is a bit of a info-dump for a question that was on the Facebook SCA Japanese group. FB comments don't have the flexibility for the links I wanted to add, so I thought I'd put the info here. Please feel free to add or correct as necessary. My specialty is poetry, but I did some research on female zukin 頭巾 for Buddhist nuns and ideas about their construction some years ago, which can be found here on Saionji no Hana's site. But the question this time was from someone whose husband was interested in the headcovering for a Sohei (yamabushi) persona.
Zukin 頭巾 means "hood, kerchief", usually implying a cloth headcovering, although not always.
First, here are some examples from the NHK taiga drama Yoshitsune, featuring the warrior-monk Benkei. No, these are not historical sources, but the taiga dramas tend to be meticulous about their costuming. This is just to get a better idea of what headcoverings look like on a live person.
I have a few more available in this Flickr album here.
(Source: NHK publication "Yoshitsune" ISBN 4-14-923341-1 and ISBN 4-14-923342-X)
From the pictures, it looks like this zukin was not just a square rectangular piece but several stripes of cloth sewn within a border? But the same results can probably be gained by using a large rectangular cloth.
Here on Youtube is an example of how to tie the modern version of the Yamabushi zukin, which differs in shape but may give an idea of technique.
Sohei are no longer around (to my knowledge) but modern yamabushi or shugenja still exist. You can read some about their history and doctrines here and here.
It looks like this type of zukin can simply be tied from a rectangular piece of cloth, although to get the right shape and keep it in place, it is helpful to attach it to some kind of headband.
Hope this helps! Again, those with more knowledge regarding sohei please feel free to add to the conversation.
Zukin 頭巾 means "hood, kerchief", usually implying a cloth headcovering, although not always.
First, here are some examples from the NHK taiga drama Yoshitsune, featuring the warrior-monk Benkei. No, these are not historical sources, but the taiga dramas tend to be meticulous about their costuming. This is just to get a better idea of what headcoverings look like on a live person.
I have a few more available in this Flickr album here.
(Source: NHK publication "Yoshitsune" ISBN 4-14-923341-1 and ISBN 4-14-923342-X)
From the pictures, it looks like this zukin was not just a square rectangular piece but several stripes of cloth sewn within a border? But the same results can probably be gained by using a large rectangular cloth.
Here on Youtube is an example of how to tie the modern version of the Yamabushi zukin, which differs in shape but may give an idea of technique.
Sohei are no longer around (to my knowledge) but modern yamabushi or shugenja still exist. You can read some about their history and doctrines here and here.
It looks like this type of zukin can simply be tied from a rectangular piece of cloth, although to get the right shape and keep it in place, it is helpful to attach it to some kind of headband.
Hope this helps! Again, those with more knowledge regarding sohei please feel free to add to the conversation.
