noun
topknot; hair gathered and tied atop the head
Archaic term referring to a traditional Japanese hairstyle where the hair is drawn up and secured at the crown. Now mostly encountered in historical descriptions or classical literature.
武士は髻を結って兜をかぶった。
Samurai tied their hair in a topknot and wore helmets.
この絵巻には髻を高く結った貴族が描かれている。
In this picture scroll, a nobleman with his hair tied high in a topknot is depicted.
Kana spelling is more practical for modern readers, as the kanji is obscure.
髷 is a more general term for a topknot or chignon, still used in contexts like sumo or traditional hairstyles, while 髻 is specifically archaic and refers to the ancient style.
The kanji 髻 is a phono-semantic compound with 髟 (hair) and 吉 (phonetic, also suggesting 'binding'). The reading もとどり is a native Japanese word of uncertain origin, possibly related to 本 (moto, 'base') and 取り (tori, 'taking'), referring to gathering hair at the top of the head.