In modern World War II-themed film and television works, the image of Japanese officers is particularly vivid.
Usually, anti-Japanese soldiers want to find and kill officers in a large number of Japanese soldiers, as long as they lock on to those who wear sabers around their waists and have a pinch of hair under their noses, they must be a dozen and one accurate.
(Moustache Japanese official)
Speaking of which, the moustache under the nose of a Japanese officer has long since become a profound image left by the Japanese to the world in World War II. And until now, it has still been ridiculed by many people. So, the black hair under the nose looks funny and strange, why do Japanese officers still have such a beard shape?
In fact, this shape was not invented by the Japanese.
As early as the Meiji Restoration, Japan has been committed to learning from the advanced western system, and whichever country is strong, it will learn from which country. For example, the Japanese Navy fully imitated the British naval system. In the Army, Japan imitated the Most Famous French Army in the world at that time. As for this peculiar beard shape, it is a fashion trend imitated by Japan from Germany.
As we all know, Germans have always had a fondness for beards. In the eyes of the Germans at that time, the thicker the beard, the more it could show the masculinity of a man. As a result, this became a trend in Germany before the twentieth century.
But by the time of the First World War, the drawbacks of thick beards began to appear. Due to poor sanitary conditions on the battlefield, the beards of German soldiers were often not cleaned in time after being contaminated with impurities. And when the soldiers eat, these impurities are sent to the mouth along with the food. Therefore, the soldiers at that time often fell ill inexplicably.
In addition, gas warfare was quite popular in World War I. As a result, soldiers are usually required to wear gas masks. At this time, the beard became an obstacle for soldiers to wear masks.
So after world war I, German men chose to cut off their beards, leaving only a square handful under their noses. In this way, the man's masculinity can be guaranteed without affecting hygiene.
(Chaplin's old photo)
Therefore, this beard shape is also called "sanitary beard".
As the German Fuehrer also retained this beard, sanitary beards soon became popular in Germany and even Europe. Like the famous British comedian Chaplin, he also has a sanitary beard.
Later, the Japanese who were committed to learning the advanced culture of Europe, after seeing the Sanitary Beard of the Germans, felt that the square beard had something in common with the spirit of Bushido, and they also began to deliberately cultivate such a shape.
However, the sanitary beard shape is not for everyone to keep. In Japan, the sanitary beard is not only a beard shape, but also a status symbol. Generally, only famous and prestigious people or military officers are eligible to have it.
It is worth mentioning that the Japanese hygienic hu is often called "Rendan Hu" by our people. This is mainly due to the Factan advertisements posted around by the Japanese during the Japanese pseudo-japanese period.
Strictly speaking, however, Ren Dan Hu and Sanitary Hu are two completely different beards. Ren Dan Hu, also known as Bazi Hu, although it also stays under the nose, it is significantly different from the sanitary hu. The end of the Rendan hu is actually slightly upturned, while the sanitary hu is square.
(Tang Taizong)
In fact, as early as the early years of the Republic of China, many progressive people left a beard, but at that time, many people believed that this was imitating the German Kaiser Wilhelm and belonged to plagiarism. However, after Mr. Lu Xun watched the "Liedi Tu", he found that Tang Taizong had already retained this style. Therefore, he once wrote a special article pointing out that the eight-character hu is actually the essence of China's state.
However, because the recognition of Rendanhu as the name of a Japanese beard has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, this wrong name has been passed down.
I have to say that the Japanese can promote the culture they borrow to the extreme, and even make people forget the provenance of this culture, which is really quite a set.
With the defeat of Japan and Germany in World War II, the sanitary hu has become a symbol of their failure, and people are reluctant to stay. So later, this beard slowly disappeared into the smoke of history.
(Reference: History of German Culture)