- Hachimaki
[
Kiyoshi Ogawa wearing a hachimaki.] A hachimaki (鉢巻) is a stylizedheadband (bandana ) in the Japanese culture, usually made of red or white cloth, worn as a symbol ofperseverance oreffort by the wearer. These are worn on many occasions, for example, by women giving birth, students incram school , office workers, expert tradesmen taking pride in their work,bōsōzoku (teen biker gangs) and even rioters. They were famously worn bykamikaze pilots inWorld War II . Japanese competitive eaterTakeru Kobayashi wore a hachimaki for the Nathan's hotdog eating competition.They are generally decorated with inspirational
slogan s, like 日本一 ("Nippon Ichi", "the best of Japan"), but most typically with therising sun motif.The historical origin of hachimaki is uncertain. One theory links the cloth to those worn by early religious
ascetic s. Another theory states that they originated in headbands worn bysamurai that kept their helmets on, to absorb perspiration, and keep hair out of their eyes. "Hachimaki" translates as "helmet-scarf."Putting on a hachimaki is generally equated to the Western gesture of rolling up one's sleeves, i.e. getting serious and beginning to do the work.Fact|date=September 2007
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Tenugui
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