1. Why Did Heian Nobles Remove Their Eyebrows and Draw Them Higher?
In the Heian period, it is said that noblewomen removed their original eyebrows by plucking or shaving them, then drew eyebrows at a position higher than their actual location [1]. This makeup style is called "hikimayu" (drawn eyebrows) [1].
Why draw them so high? One explanation is that it was done to hide facial expressions from others and show elegance [1]. Since eyebrows are a place where emotions often show, the idea is that hiding their movement made the face look more composed. However, this is just one explanation; the reason is not settled on a single cause.
Regarding its origins, there is a dictionary-style explanation that the custom entered Japan from the continent during the Nara period. It suggests that what began as thin, bow-shaped lines changed into high, oval shapes on the forehead during the Heian period. Note that this specific origin story is a secondary explanation and has not been verified in primary museum or academic texts.
Erasing the brows and drawing new ones far away was a bold makeup choice. What happened to this custom after that?
2. How Did Edo-Period Eyebrow Rules Differ by Social Status?
In the Edo period, there were specific rules for eyebrow makeup based on one's position. According to an explanation from the National Diet Library, upper-class women, including court nobles and samurai, followed family etiquette laws. At a certain age, they shaved off their eyebrows and then drew them in a prescribed shape [2]. These rules for eyebrow makeup were compiled in an etiquette book called *Keshou Mayu Sakuden* (Secrets of Eyebrow Makeup) [2].
In contrast, commoners only shaved their eyebrows after pregnancy or childbirth [2]. It was not the case that everyone who married shaved them. The trigger for shaving, and whether they redrew them afterward, differed from the upper classes.
Even though both groups "shaved their eyebrows," for the upper class it was part of a procedure to redraw them in a set shape, while for commoners it marked a life stage like childbirth. By looking at someone's eyebrows, one might have been able to guess their social status and stage of life.
So, how were women who shaved their eyebrows depicted in art?
3. Why Did Ukiyo-e Prints Draw Eyebrows on Married Women?
Ukiyo-e woodblock prints have a curious feature. Even for married women, who were supposed to shave their eyebrows, it seems there was a convention to draw them if the subject was under 30 years old [2]. This is said to be to avoid making the woman look older. However, this was a rule within the art form; we cannot say that everyone in real life followed this practice.
Shaving eyebrows greatly changed one's appearance and how others saw them [2]. Senryu poems (short humorous or satirical verses) remain that capture the embarrassment of shaving them. The line "Hajikasa gawarari to ai ga kawaru nari" from *Shodai Senryu Senkushu* describes the feeling that just by shaving eyebrows, one's face suddenly changes [2].
Although the rule was simply "shave your eyebrows," for the individual it was a slightly embarrassing milestone where their face looked like someone else’s. At the same time, in paintings, they were drawn to look young. This suggests that eyebrows were an important part of influencing how one's age appeared.
When and why did this long-standing habit disappear?
4. How Did Westernization End Eyebrow Shaving in the Meiji Era?
In the Meiji era, Westernization advanced, and circumstances changed. In the 3rd year of Meiji (1870), noble families were forbidden from using *ohaguro* (blackened teeth) and *hikimayu* (drawn eyebrows) [5]. In the 6th year of Meiji (1873), it was announced that the Empress Dowager and the Empress had stopped using eyebrow ink and blackened teeth [3]. It is said that one reason was that shaved eyebrows and blackened teeth looked strange to Western observers [3].
As a result, the habit of married women completely shaving off their eyebrows declined alongside *ohaguro*, and Western-style eyebrows became the ideal [1]. Since *ohaguro* is covered in detail in another article, this section focuses only on eyebrow changes.
After the Heian-era style of "erase and redraw," what kind of eyebrows were preferred?
5. How Did Eyebrow Thickness Change with Fashion After the Custom Faded?
As eyebrow-shaving customs declined, eyebrow thickness and shape began to move with fashion trends. During the Taisho period, after the Great Kanto Earthquake, the trend was for thin eyebrows drawn down toward the temples, known as "hikimayu-ge" [3]. This is a different trend of thin eyebrows from the Edo-era "shave and redraw *hikimayu*," so one should be careful not to confuse them despite the similar names.
In the late 1980s, during the bubble economy era, drawing methods that made eyebrows look thick became popular. In the late 1990s, after the bubble burst, thin eyebrows became popular, especially among high school girls [1]. From Heisei 6 to 10 (1994–1998), brown hair, thin eyebrows, and small-face makeup were a huge trend [4]. From Heisei 26 (2014) to around 2018, "natchu-futomayu" (natural thick eyebrows), characterized by bright, short, thick brows reminiscent of the bubble era, became distinctive [4].
Thick, then thin, then thick again. Eyebrows seem to oscillate. The speed of trends has also changed. It is reported that changes which previously took place in 10-year cycles shifted to 4- or 5-year cycles during the Heisei era [4].
You may hear the view that thick eyebrows are preferred when the economy is good, but this has not been proven as a cause-and-effect relationship. This is sometimes said, but a causal link has not been established.
6. How Can You Compare Eyebrows in Ukiyo-e and Photographs?
The National Diet Library’s page on "Japanese Makeup" (see source list) has explanations for Edo-period makeup and Meiji, Taisho, and Showa-era makeup. Look at ukiyo-e women with your family. Compare women who have drawn eyebrows with those who do not.
Another method is to look at old magazines or albums in your home. Compare the year of the photo with the thickness of the eyebrows. However, people in photos are all different. Only treat it as a sign of a trend when you have several photos from the same period; do not judge an entire era based on a single image.
From those who erased and redrew their eyebrows to us who style our own freely, eyebrow shapes seem to have always moved between rules and trends.