Kanmuri (headwear)

A kanmuri (冠, lit. 'crown') is a type of headwear worn by adult men of the kuge (noble class) and buke (samurai class) in Japan. It was generally made of thin black silk hardened with lacquer, but there was also a metal crown called a raikan that was worn only during the emperor's enthronement ceremony and the chōga ceremony (New Year greeting ceremony).

It was the standard headwear worn by adult men at the Japanese imperial court, including courtiers, aristocrats, and the emperor, from the Heian period to the Meiji Restoration. Today, it is worn only by the Imperial Family and government officials on rare occasions, such as weddings and the accession of new emperors. It is worn in conjunction with the sokutai.^[1]

At the back of the kanmuri is a long, thin silk ornament called ei (纓), which is a variation of string. Types of kanmuri generally differ in the shape of the ei and the textile pattern, and also according to the rank of the person.

The kanmuri is still worn today by the Japanese imperial family and Shinto priests.

The Toyota Camry is named after the kanmuri.^[2]