Japan, circa 1890
Attributed to Tamamura Kozaburo

The hairstyle seen in this photograph is believed to be a variation of the traditional Shimada hairstyle (a bun style accentuating the nape of the neck) called sakkou (characterized by the hair being piled up and twisted into loops with one ponytail of hair hanging over the back). Worn by married women of the merchant class during the late Edo period (1603-1868), starting in the Meiji era (1868-1912) the sakkou was the hairstyle worn by apprentice geisha in the weeks leading up to their debut as full-fledged geisha.