An uchikatsugi is a long veiled headdress once worn by noble women to protect their anonymity. It was normal street wear for the nobility, and probably also protected them from mosquitoes.

Here, Mao (Geiko of Gion Kobu) peeks out from beneath her uchikatsugi as she portrays Madame Fujiwara Tamie (1280) in Kyoto’s famous Festival of Ages. Also known as Abutsu Ni, she wrote the Izayo Nikki (Diary) in 1277.(source)

Uchikatsugi actually has a very long and interesting history. It was imported into Japan, along with many other facets of Chinese culture, during the Asuka Period (Tang Dynasty)

In China, it was called the “Mili” (幂篱), and looks basically the same as the Japanese uchikatsugi, with the exception that the hat would be lined with black silk, and the descending veil would often be black as well.

Serving Girl Holding Mili, mural from tomb of Virtuous Consort Yan, one of the accompanying tombs of Zhaoling Mausoleum.

This hat is actually not a Chinese invention! It was absorbed from the immigrating nomadic steppe cultures from the Northwest, who probably learned it from the ancient Mediterranean cultures. It’s certainly a long way for a hat to travel! When these nomads invaded China and established the Sixteen Kingdoms, which evolved into the Norther and Southern Dynasties, they brought along their clothing and customs and left an indelible mark on Chinese culture. The Sui Dynasty, which unified North and South, and the Tang Dynasty, which brought China to a golden age, were very much a product of integrating the steppe nomads and the native Chinese. It was a very open, liberal time with greater ethnic diversity than China has had before. One of the items of steppe culture which remained was the mili. Originally a very practical trend, the veil shielded the beautiful noble ladies from dust and sun. Yet because the large amount of coverage, it soon became a tool of societal control: the veil was supposed to protect a woman’s modesty. Every time a woman left her house, she would wear a veil to hide herself from the outside world. Not that it prevented them from doing all sorts of non-traditional, non-subservient things while still keeping their veils on. Like I said before, it was a liberal and libertine time.

Sketches of evolution of the Mili (scanned by Toutiao user 月夜航船)

The hat and veil setup was, as you can imagine, cumbersome. As time went on, women became more daring with their fashion choices, and shortened the Mili until it only covered the head and shoulders. This has more than a little to do with the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, China’s only Empress Regnant. 

Sketches of steppe nomad influenced hats from various ancient pictures (scanned by Toutiao user 月夜航船)

Horseback Woman, late Tang Dynasty Terra Cotta figure

In its truncated form, the Mili was often confused with another foreign trend, the Weimao, a smaller hat with a shorter veil, which both men and women wore to protect themselves from wind and dust.

Sketches of women in Weimao

Man in weimao from Figures Under the Tree, Tang Dynasty painted screen

Finally the veil hats were abandoned altogether, consigned to be a relic of a bygone time, though in recent years, they acquired a screen presence by being part of the go-to garb for assassins, ninjas, and other men and women of mystery. It does add just a wee bit of danger and mystique.

Promotional image of the wuxia series The Smiling Proud Wanderer, 2000

However, even though it is no longer part of Chinese clothing, the uchikatsugi went on to enjoy a long history in Japan. Quite an extraordinary journey for an extraordinary hat.

Jidai Matsuri