are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. The term refers to a wide variety of accessories, including long, rigid hairpins, barrettes, fabric flowers and fabric hair ties. In the English-speaking world, the term is typically used to refer to hair ornaments made from layers of folded cloth used to form flowers (), or the technique of folding used to make the flowers. History were first used in Japan during the Jōmon period. During that time, the wearing of a single thin rod or stick was considered to hold powers to ward off evil spirits, with people wearing them in their hair for protective purposes. The Jōmon period also saw the introduction of hair combs. During the Nara period, a variety of Chinese cultural aspects and items were brought to Japan through mutual trade and envoys. The items brought back from China included Chinese hairpins (, ; written with the same Chinese character as ), amongst other hair ornaments such as Chinese combs. During the Heian period, hairstyles shifted from being worn up to being worn long, and tied back relatively low. During this time period, the term began to be used as a general term for any hair ornament, including combs and hairpins. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, hairstyles changed from the style, to the wider variety of styles worn up – predecessors of modern styles, which made more use of hair ornaments. came into wider use during the Edo period, when hairstyles became larger and more complicated, using a larger number of ornaments. Artisans began to produce more finely crafted products, including some hair ornaments that could be used as defensive weapons. During the latter part of the Edo period, the craftsmanship of is considered to have reached a high point, with a number of styles and designs created, many of which persist to the modern day. Modern day In the present day, traditional Japanese hairstyles are not commonly worn, typically being worn only by geisha, , sumo wrestlers, brides, modern and re-enactors, with both geisha, brides, and , and some apprentice geisha in some regions of Japan, using pre-styled wigs instead of their own hair. As such, few people wear with traditional hairstyles. However, can be, and still are, worn with everyday hairstyles as simple hair accessories; there are a number of varieties and styles of wearing , with modern varieties worn as hairclips both common and popular.