noun
ancient Japanese ladies' hairstyle; ginkgo-leaf chignon
Historical hairstyle worn by women in the Edo period and earlier; the hair is looped and pinned to resemble a ginkgo leaf. Now only encountered in historical contexts or traditional dress.
浮世絵には銀杏返しに結った女性がよく描かれている。
Women with their hair done in the ginkgo-leaf style are often depicted in ukiyo-e prints.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical hairstyle.
Irregular okurigana variant; less common than 銀杏返し.
From 銀杏 (いちょう, 'ginkgo') + 返し (かえし, 'turning back, flipping'), referring to the looped shape that resembles a ginkgo leaf.