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Teeth blackening. Nishiki-e by Utagawa Kunisada, 1820, from the series Mirrors of the modern boudoir.. Ohaguro (Japanese: お歯黒, pronounced, lit. ' black teeth ') is the name given in Japan to the custom of blackening one's teeth with a solution of iron filings and vinegar.
In Japan, teeth blackening is known as ohaguro (お歯黒). Ohaguro existed in one form or another for hundreds of years, and was seen amongst the population as beautiful until the end of the Meiji period (1868–1911). Objects that were pitch black, such as glaze-like lacquer, were seen as beautiful.
She examines her teeth, which have been blackened with ohaguro, which normally only married women applied. Women applying ohaguro are normally depicted with the mirror in the left hand and the ohaguro brush in the right. [6] Utamaro uses a limited number of colours in this print, which gives the impression of a dim interior scene. [6]
Eyebrows painted on the forehead and blackened teeth were considered no longer appropriate for modern society, and in 1870 hikimayu and ohaguro were banned. [3] In the modern day, hikimayu and ohaguro are typically only seen in historical drama pieces such as Noh and kabuki, and occasionally in local festivals.
Teeth blackening during the Heian period, known as ohaguro, involved coating the teeth black with paint, mainly done by the wealthy. There are many suspected reasons Japanese people practiced teeth blackening. Some sources claim black teeth imitated tooth decay, and decay was a status symbol as only the wealthy could afford sweets. [9]
Tooth blackening is called "Ohaguro" in Japanese. People could judge women's situation by looking at their teeth and eyebrows. For instance, if a woman paints her teeth black, people can say the woman is married. Additionally, if the woman also shaves her eyebrows, she must be someone's mother. [7]
There is a land of black teeth. He is a descendant of Emperor Shun. He has the surname Jiang. He eats prosoil and uses four birds. [6] [7] In The Tale of Genji, Suetsumuhana it is said「Ohaguro The mountain and the sea are the land of black teeth in the East China Sea, where women have black dyed teeth.」
In cosmetic terms, aristocratic men and women powdered their faces and blackened their teeth, the latter termed ohaguro. The male courtly ideal included a faint mustache and thin goatee , while women's mouths were painted small and red, and their eyebrows were plucked or shaved and redrawn higher on the forehead ( hikimayu ).