An era when women were forbidden from cutting their hair

I was today years old when I learned that there was a time in Japan when women were forbidden from cutting their hair. It really took me by surprise to learn this. On April 5th, 1872, the Meiji government issued a decree forbidding women to cut their hair. 

The year before, in 1871, Japan had encouraged men to modernize their appearance by abandoning the traditional chonmage topknot in favor of short, Western‑style haircuts. The change was so striking that many women began cutting their hair as well, embracing the same spirit of modernity. Alarmed by how quickly the trend spread, the government responded with a ban specifically targeting women, declaring that only men were permitted to adopt short hairstyles.

Because of this history, April 5th every year is Hair Cut Day ヘアカットの日 in Japan, to mark this curious period in Japan's history.