The Seduction of Black Teeth: A Traditional Japanese Beauty Symbol

Ohaguro (which can be translated as "blackened teeth") is the practice of people (usually women) coloring their teeth black.

This practice is found all over the world, including Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and even South America, but it is most often associated with Japan, where undeniably, features considered attractive and beautiful are often determined by a society, and until the late 19th century, black teeth were considered to be a symbol of Japanese beauty.

Nonetheless, in Japanese society, black teeth were not only a sign of beauty, but also had other uses for a woman whose teeth were blackened by the practice of daikanyu.

(peterbrown paleographiology.

) The traditional method of obtaining black teeth through the practice of the Great Seagull is to ingest dye.

First, the iron filings are steeped in tea or sake.

When the iron oxidizes, the liquid turns black.

The dye is said to have a bitter taste, so spices such as cinnamon, cloves and anise are added.

The dye was consumed and caused the drinker's teeth to turn black.

In order to keep the teeth blackened, the process is repeated once a day or every few days.

The result seems to be permanent, because there are skeletons from the Edo period, whose teeth are still black due to the practice of the sea fixation, and the teeth of young Tokyoites were painted black around 1905.

(Public **** field), it is not clear when and how the practice of Okojimura began.

However, it became popular at some point during the Heian period (8th-12th centuries AD).

During this period, it was the nobility, especially its female members, who practiced staining their teeth black.

This practice was popular at the time as another symbol of beauty ......, and in addition to black teeth, a white face was another desirable feature of the Heian period.

Unfortunately, white cosmetics made from rice flour can make one's teeth look more yellow than they actually are.

To overcome this problem, women painted their teeth black and their faces and necks white.

(Color Crush), an illusion is created when one's teeth appear, in which one smiles brightly without them.

It is said that in addition to illustrating beauty, the practice of daikai solids strengthens the teeth and protects one from tooth decay and other dental problems.

In addition, samurai practiced omikurou to show their loyalty to their masters, and omikurou continued to be practiced in later periods of Japanese history.

By the Edo period (17th-19th centuries AD), the practice had spread from the aristocracy to other social classes as well.

During this period, omakase was common among married women, unmarried women over the age of 18, women in brothels, and geisha.

Thus, black teeth symbolized a woman's sexual maturity, Black Teeth, Kitagawa-Kunisade's Nishi Iketo, from The Mirror of the Modern Apartment, c. 1820.

(Public **** domain) In the Meiji period, following the Edo period, the practice of daikaikou became obsolete.

As part of Japan's new *** attempt to modernize the country, the use of teeth was banned in Osaka in 1870.

The new trend in Japanese dentistry was to keep teeth white.

In 1873, the Queen herself appeared in public with a set of white teeth, and this new fashion was "recognized".

Soon, white teeth were recognized as a sign of beauty, and omako slowly lost its appeal among the Japanese.

Although Osaka eventually disappeared from the Japanese general public, it can still be found in the geisha districts of Kyoto, where geishas blacken their teeth until 1 am, in Tokyo's Ukiyo-e, and in the 24-hour Shimbashi 13 and Yanagi.

(Public **** area), interestingly, there is a Yokai (a supernatural spirit/monster in Japanese folklore) called Ohaguro Bettari (translates as "only blackened teeth").

It is believed that this Yokai looks like a beautiful woman in a wedding dress (at least from the back).

It is said that she liked to make phone calls, and when young single men approached her, she hid her face from them, and when the men approached, she showed a white face with no features, except for a big mouth with a pair of black teeth.

Close-up: An Edo period painting of a woman whose teeth are stained black by the practice of oikonomori.

Colorcrush, by Myung-Jin Oh, I'm a college student with a B.A. in archaeology.

My interests range from "traditional" to "radical" interpretations of archaeological/textual/image datasets.

I believe that intellectual input from advocates at both extremes will help. Read Mor.