Hair sticks have been in use for thousands of years, and have been found in cultures of the
ancient Egyptians,
Romans, and
Greeks,
India and
China. Although some of these have been jewelled, luxury items, such as the gold hair sticks of Egypt, more common, wooden hair sticks have also been found in cultures such as Rome, suggesting that they were in wide use amongst people regardless of their financial standing. However, the most influential culture on modern hair sticks has been
Japanese, and in particular the use of decorative Japanese
kanzashi. Although many modern hair sticks draw more on the elaborate approach to the design of kanzashi than on the simpler designs for functional pins, kanzashi are used within a far more rigid and traditional environment. Kanzashi are frequently floral in design, especially those dictated by the changing of the seasons and used by geisha. == Gallery ==