A Random PSA on The Differences Between Geiko Shimada and Taka Shimada

There’s been a few questions about this lately and while searching to find you all answers I noticed that there really weren’t any in English. So, I’ve made a handy diagram that should clear some things up.

It looks a bit self explanatory, but I’ll go into more detail to help people understand the finer points. When it comes to the many, many variations of the Shimada style the Geiko version is the closest to the Taka version and, at first, they do look almost identical. However, there’s 4 main parts that have different shapes and contours that change a Geiko Shimada to a Taka Shimada and vice versa. 1) The Mage (髷) The mage is best described as the top knot of a hairstyle. In the Geiko Shimada it’s flat and has a steep angle but it’s also wide when looking at it directly. For the Taka Shimada the mage is rounded and very full from the front and it lacks the angle of the Geiko Shimada in the back. 2) The Bin (鬢) Bin are the sides (literally “wings”) that frame the face. There isn’t much of a difference here, but you may notice that the Taka Shimada’s bin are a bit more rounded than the Geiko Shimada’s. 3) The Tabo (髱) The tabo is the section of hair that originates and rests at the back of your neck. In the Geiko Shimada the tabo is thin and contours with the bin. In the Taka Shimada it’s very full and actually extends down slightly longer than the Geiko Shimada. 4) The Maegami (前髪) The maegami is the front section of hair that is the width of your forehead. The Geiko Shimada’s maegami lays flat and brings all of the hair together into one strand that allows kushi (combs) to be anchored. The Taka Shimada’s maegami is full, round, and lacks the anchoring hair.  The differences may seem minor in some areas, but it’s enough that the Geiko Shimada is a different shimada variant than the Taka Shimada.  All images used were from Outlet Wig, who is arguably one of the best dealers of nihongami wigs on the internet. On their website the Taka Shimada is also known as the “Bunkin Taka Shimada” as this is the style that is worn by brides. The Geiko Shimada (which they spell as “芸子”) is also called the “Chū Taka Shimada” which means “Middle Taka Shimada” as it’s less full than the Bunkin Taka but not as flat as the Tsubushi Shimada. Follow the highlighted words and links to see their products ^^