History Ukiyo-e of Yama-uba caring for Kintarō in which his dark teeth are distinguishable When a samurai dyed his teeth black, it reflected his decision not to serve another lord for the rest of his life, and, from the time of the shikken or regents of the shōgun, the nobles applied it with similar regard for loyalty. Īmong the samurai, its origin is associated with the idea of loyalty expressed by the color black. The current Japanese female custom of covering the mouth when smiling derives to a greater or lesser degree from this consideration and from the preference until the 19th century for black-toothed rather than white mouths. The reasons for the invention of ohaguro are still unclear: simple dental care has been proposed, as well as the differentiation between humans and demons depicted with large white fangs, just as in other Southeast Asian cultures the fact that teeth are the only visible part of the skeleton, which links them to death and makes them taboo or the Japanese and other Far Eastern cultures holding a preference for concealing the public display of feelings with the combination of oshiroi (white makeup), the complete plucking of the eyebrows, and their repainting – a practice known as hikimayu ( 引眉, hikimayu) – and the dyeing of teeth creating a masklike appearance. Objects with a deep black color, such as those lacquered to a glossy black, were considered to be of great beauty, and many shades of black were used in dyeing kimono, with different shades holding different meanings. Ohaguro existed in Japan in one form or another for hundreds of years, and was considered a symbol of beauty for much of this time. Synonyms include fushimizu ( 五倍子水, ' nutgall water', so called for the tannins extracted from the galls for use in this mixture), kanetsuke ( 鉄漿付け, literally 'metal + putting on'), tsukegane ( つけがね, literally 'putting on + metal'), and hagurome ( 歯黒め, 'tooth blackening'). This alternative spelling also has a separate pronunciation, tesshō. Ohaguro is normally spelled お歯黒, but there is an alternative spelling 鉄漿 where the kanji literally mean "iron juice", alluding to the liquid used in the process. The term ohaguro arose among upper-class women in the early Edo period as part of nyōbō kotoba or "women's language", as a shift from the much-older term hagurome ( 歯黒め, 'tooth blackening'). ĭue to a phonological process called rendaku, the "k" in kuro voices to become a "g" sound, and the compound term is pronounced ohaguro, not *ohakuro. The word ohaguro is composed of the honorific prefix o- ( お), the term ha ( 歯, 'tooth'), and the term kuro ( 黒, 'black'). Ukiyo-e by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, number 13 in the series 24 hours in Shinbashi and Yanagibashi. The practice of dyeing one's teeth black was also a known and widespread practice in southeastern China and Southeast Asia, although with different recipes.Įtymology Geisha blackening her teeth at 1:00 p.m. In addition to Japanese society's preference for black teeth, it was also considered beneficial to health, as it prevented tooth decay by acting as a dental sealant. It was a tradition practiced mainly by married women and some men, almost always members of the aristocracy and samurai. It was especially popular between the Heian and Edo periods, from the 10th century until the late 19th century, but the opening of the country to Western customs during the Meiji period led to its gradual disappearance. 'black teeth') is the name given in Japan to the custom of blackening one's teeth with a solution of iron filings and vinegar. Nishiki-e by Utagawa Kunisada, 1820, from the series Mirrors of the modern boudoir. Old Japanese custom of teeth blackening Teeth blackening.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |