Japanese noble women in the seventh century CE wore their hair very high and boxy at the front, with a sickle-shaped ponytail at the back. This is sometimes called "hair bound with a red string."

This hair-style, known as kepatsu, was inspired by Chinese fashions of the time. The illustration is from a wall mural in the Takamatsu Zuka Kofun, or Tall Pine Ancient Burial Mound, in Asuka, Japan.