Hundreds of excited spectators, some heavily tattooed, roared on Monday in a Tokyo stadium usually reserved for boxing – except that this time, it was barbers who clashed.
Around ten candidates, from Japan and other countries, took part in the World Barber Tournament, demonstrating their hairdressing talents to the backdrop of hip-hop music.
Attempt at reconquest
More than a competition, the event is an attempt to win back male customers, who are gradually turning away from barbers in favor of hair salons.
“In many countries, getting a haircut at the barber is a real culture for men” while young Japanese prefer salons, lamented Sho Yokota, one of the organizers of the competition.
“We are trying to elevate men’s hairdressing, or going to the barber, to the level of masculine culture,” he told AFP.
Japanese popular culture, dominated by boy bands and young actors, directs men towards rather long hairstyles, as opposed to the very short, shaved or slicked back cuts generally associated with barbers.
Fashion Icons
Television also elevated top hairdressers to fashion icons, contributing to the success of salons at the expense of traditional barbers.
Japan has around 110,000 barbers, compared to double the number of hair salons. And the majority of barbers are now elderly.
But a new generation of professionals is emerging, reinforced by social networks.
Among these new faces is candidate Shoma Sugimura, 29, a finalist in the tournament, with a tattooed neck and head. “Our cuts are often manly,” he described to AFP.
Japanese barbers are renowned for their meticulous craftsmanship, but are often considered to lack showmanship, organizer Sho Yokota said.
A speech and practice
Tournament participants were judged on their ability to express their personality on Monday, with each challenged to wow the audience with a one-minute speech.
“I think hair is more than hair,” judge Giancarlo Burgos, straight from Los Angeles, told AFP.
“It’s a way of communicating, but also of connecting to others. It’s a language that anyone can understand,” he added.
To revitalize the sector, candidate Takumasa Suzuki, 32, explained to AFP that he wanted to draw inspiration from American barber culture.
“In Japan, people settle for a fashionable haircut,” he depicted, whereas in the United States, where diversity of ethnic groups is important, “they want their haircut to reflect their own culture and heritage.”
“If Japanese barbershops can become a place where we can help customers express who they are, then I don’t think we will disappear,” he said.
