Why did ancient Japanese nobles like to dye their teeth black with iron paste?

Because it was the aesthetic trend of that time ah, after all, the aristocrats have always stood at the top of the times of the people, the Japanese aristocrats at that time thought that the black teeth can make people look more beautiful. And the Japanese culture of black teeth contains several other reasons besides being an aesthetic trend. The practice continued for thousands of years, and it wasn't until later, when Western ideas were introduced, that black teeth culture was completely banned.

01:Women's Unique Costume

Traditional Japanese women have always been remembered as having a white face with no eyebrows, and even black teeth. The coloring of teeth was a way for women to show their beauty and to declare that they had someone in their heart. And at that time, the coloring of teeth was not with ink as we thought, but with iron paste repeatedly coated for two months before the teeth were corroded into black. And in ancient times, the black teeth are still the exclusive symbol of noble women, general civilians can not dye black teeth it.

02:Symbol of nobility, men were also beautiful

Not only women, but also noble men were so fond of black teeth. And as the samurai class defeated the original noble class and took control of the country. They then began to want to improve their status, so they began to learn black teeth dyeing as well as make-up techniques. There was a man named Taira Atsumori who was a very powerful samurai, but when he went into battle, he made sure to wear makeup and dye his teeth, believing that this would lead to victory in a hundred battles.

03: Black teeth are good for the body

Black teeth were initially a sign that a woman had a mate, and replaced the culture of extracting teeth. Also, teeth impregnated with iron paste could ward off tooth decay, a good way to prevent dental disease. Because the aristocrats of the time ate big fish and meat, plus there were also no toothbrushes of today, and the means of cleaning could not keep up. It would be easy to cause some food residue to stay in the mouth, which in turn led to tooth decay. So if you use black teeth, it will still play a certain role in protecting their teeth.

Black teeth culture has now been eliminated by the society, but the practice of the people at that time to protect their teeth is also worth learning. It is, after all, a culture that has two sides and was once a zeitgeist.