noun
cutting short; cropped hair
Historical term for the short hairstyle adopted by men in early Meiji Japan, symbolizing modernization and the break from the traditional topknot. Often appears in the phrase 散切り頭 (ざんぎりあたま).
明治初期、散切り頭が文明開化の象徴とされた。
In the early Meiji period, cropped hair was seen as a symbol of civilization and enlightenment.
「散切り頭を叩いてみれば文明開化の音がする」という言葉がある。
There is a saying: 'If you tap a cropped head, you hear the sound of civilization and enlightenment.'
Traditional topknot worn by samurai and men before the Meiji era; 散切り is the short, Western-influenced style that replaced it.
Compound of 散 (ざん, 'scattered' or 'cut') and 切り (きり, 'cutting'), referring to the act of cutting off the traditional topknot. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is strongly associated with the early Meiji period's Westernization policies.