Futou

Futou/Putou
Eunuchs wearing yuanlingshan and futou, Tang dynasty
Wushamao (a type of futou), housed in Shanghai Museum
Traditional Chinese襆頭/幞頭
Simplified Chinese幞头
Literal meaningScarf head
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinfútóu, pútóu

Futou (simplified Chinese: 幞头; traditional Chinese: 襆頭/幞頭; also pronounced and written as putou), also known as fu (幞) and toujin (頭巾),[1] was one of the most important forms of Chinese headwear in ancient China with a history of more than one thousand years.[2] The futou first appeared in Northern Zhou under the reign of Emperor Wu where it became prevalent.[2] It was also commonly worn in the Tang and Song dynasties.[3]: 319  The futou was typically worn by government officials.[4] The futou was originally turban-like headwear which was tied at the back of its wearer's head, with the two corners going to opposite directions and acting as decorations.[5] From the Sui to the Ming dynasties, the futou evolved and was developed based on the fujin.[2] The futou eventually came to assume a variety of shapes and styles.[3]: 319  The shape of the futou worn by the government officials in the Song and Ming dynasties, the latter known as the wushamao (烏紗帽), was based on the futou of the Tang dynasty.[3]: 71–72 

The futou was also introduced in both Unified Silla and Balhae[6]: 135  and continued to be worn by government officials until the late Joseon.[7]: 25  The futou with a jinzi (lining) was also introduced back in the Sogdian areas in Central Asia spreading to the Western regions through the Xinjiang region.[2] The futou with jinzi was also introduced in Japan during the Nara period through Prince Shōtaku.[2] Đại Cồ Việt was introduced to the futou in the late 10th century and adapted various iterations from the Early Lê to the Nguyễn dynasty.[8]: 171 

  1. ^ "廣韻 : 入聲 : 燭 : 幞 - 四腳 - Chinese Text Project". ctext.org. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mai, Huijuan; Yang, Yimin; Jiang, Hongen; Wang, Bo; Wang, Changsui (2017-10-01). "Investigating the materials and manufacture of Jinzi: The lining of Futou (Chinese traditional male headwear) from the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China". Journal of Cultural Heritage. 27: 116–124. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2017.02.018. ISSN 1296-2074.
  3. ^ a b c Burkus, Anne Gail (2010). Through a forest of chancellors: fugitive histories in Liu Yuan's "Lingyan ge", an illustrated book from seventeenth-century Suzhou. Yuan, active Liu. Cambridge, Mass. p. 319. ISBN 978-1-68417-050-0. OCLC 956711877.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Dale R. Johnson (2020). A Glossary of Words and Phrases in the Oral Performing and Dramatic Literatures of the Jin, Yuan, and Ming. University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-472-03823-7. OCLC 1229843176.
  5. ^ Zang, Yingchun; 臧迎春. (2003). Zhongguo chuan tong fu shi [Chinese traditional costumes and ornaments]. 李竹润., 王德华., 顾映晨. (Di 1 ban ed.). Beijing: Wu zhou chuan bo chu ban she. ISBN 7-5085-0279-5. OCLC 55895164.
  6. ^ A new history of Parhae. John B. Duncan, Tongbuga Yŏksa Chaedan, Tongbuga Yo⁺їksa Chaedan. Leiden: Global Oriental. 2012. ISBN 978-90-04-24299-9. OCLC 864678409.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ Encyclopedia of Traditional Korean clothing. Vol. VI (English ed.). Seoul: National Folk Museum of Korea. 2021. ISBN 9788928902873.
  8. ^ One Thousand Years of Caps and Robes. Vol. I (Vietnamese ed.). Vietnam: Hanoi: World Publishing House. 2013.