Ohaguro
Encyclopedia
is a custom of dyeing one's teeth black. It was most popular in Japan until the Meiji era
, as well as in the southeastern parts of China
and Southeast Asia
. Dyeing was mainly done by married women, though occasionally men did it as well. It was also beneficial, as it prevented tooth decay, in a similar fashion to modern dental sealants.
References to ohaguro exist in the Genji Monogatari and Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari
. At the end of the Heian period, at the time when aristocratic men and woman reached puberty and celebrated their genpuku
or mogi, the Tairas and other samurai, and pages working at large temples dyed their teeth. In particular, the imperial family and other high-ranking aristocrats who had finished their hakamaza (ceremony where a child is fitted with a hakama) blackened their teeth and painted their eyebrows . This was done in the imperial household until the end of the Edo era.
In the Muromachi period
, ohaguro was generally seen among adults, though when the Sengoku period
arrived, so as to prepare for political marriages of convenience, when the daughters of military commanders were around 8 to 10 years old, they would blacken their teeth as a marking of their coming of age. Relatives and guardians of the bride who blackened their teeth were called kaneoya (鉄漿親). It is said that military commanders who were struck in the head on the battlefield and who did not want to be ugly would wear average women's makeup and would blacken their teeth. These faces imitated the Noh masks of women and young boys.
After the Edo period, only men in the imperial family and aristocrats blackened their teeth. Due to the odor and labor required for the process, as well as a feeling among young women that they were aging, ohaguro was done only by married women, unmarried women who were older than 18, prostitutes and geisha. For rural people, ohaguro was done only at times of special celebrations, such as matsuri, wedding ceremonies, and funerals. There were also depictions of ohaguro in fairy tales, such as Gon, the Little Fox
.
On February 5, 1870, the government banned the practice of ohaguro, and the process gradually became obsolete. (After the Meiji period, it temporarily spread, but in the Taisho period, it almost entirely died out.)
In contemporary times, the only places where ohaguro can be seen is in plays, hanamachi
(geisha quarters), some matsuri, and movies.
As a convenient prescription, a fine powder of gallnut powder, sulfuric acid, and oyster shell could also be applied to the teeth, though this never really caught on.
In theatrical plays, ink mixed with turpentine was used, though these days, ink mixed with tooth wax is used.
, there is a description of a "black teeth country" (lit. 黒歯国). In modern times teeth blackening similar to ohaguro can be seen among many minority groups in Southeast Asia
. It is mainly prevalent in older women, though the practice is still carried on by some younger women. Sometimes artificial teeth are used to achieve blackened teeth.
For a comprehensive review with further references, see Zumbroich T. J. (2009), The ethnobotany of teeth blackening in Southeast Asia and Zumbroich T. J. (2011), To strengthen the teeth and harden the gums - Teeth blackening as medical practice in Asia, Micronesia and Melanesia.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, as well as in the southeastern parts of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Dyeing was mainly done by married women, though occasionally men did it as well. It was also beneficial, as it prevented tooth decay, in a similar fashion to modern dental sealants.
Japan
In Japan, it existed from ancient times, and was seen among the civilians up until the end of the Meiji period. Pitch black things such as glaze like lacquer were seen as beautiful.Name
The word "ohaguro" was a Japanese aristocratic term. There is an alternate reading for ohaguro, 鉄漿 (literally 'iron drink'). At the old Imperial palace in Kyoto, it was called . Among the civilians, words such as , and were used.History
- Traces of blackened teeth can be seen in the buried bones and haniwaHaniwaThe are terracotta clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period of the history of Japan....
from the Kofun periodKofun periodThe is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. It follows the Yayoi period. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
. - ShōsōinShosoinThe is the treasure house that belongs to Tōdai-ji, Nara The building is in the azekura log-cabin style, with a raised floor. It lies to the northwest of the Daibutsuden...
, a treasure house connected to Tōdai-jiTodai-ji, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
in Nara, holds the teachings brought to Japan by JianzhenJianzhenJianzhen was a Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times.-Life:...
in 753.
References to ohaguro exist in the Genji Monogatari and Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari
Tsutsumi Chunagon Monogatari
is a post late-Heian period Japanese collection of short stories.-Authorship:With the exception of one story, the authorship is unknown. It is likely each story was written by different authors at various times and later collected together into a single text....
. At the end of the Heian period, at the time when aristocratic men and woman reached puberty and celebrated their genpuku
Genpuku
or genbuku was an historical Japanese coming-of-age ceremony. The etymology is atypical; in this case means "head" and means "wearing". The ceremony is also known as , , , , and ....
or mogi, the Tairas and other samurai, and pages working at large temples dyed their teeth. In particular, the imperial family and other high-ranking aristocrats who had finished their hakamaza (ceremony where a child is fitted with a hakama) blackened their teeth and painted their eyebrows . This was done in the imperial household until the end of the Edo era.
In the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
, ohaguro was generally seen among adults, though when the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
arrived, so as to prepare for political marriages of convenience, when the daughters of military commanders were around 8 to 10 years old, they would blacken their teeth as a marking of their coming of age. Relatives and guardians of the bride who blackened their teeth were called kaneoya (鉄漿親). It is said that military commanders who were struck in the head on the battlefield and who did not want to be ugly would wear average women's makeup and would blacken their teeth. These faces imitated the Noh masks of women and young boys.
After the Edo period, only men in the imperial family and aristocrats blackened their teeth. Due to the odor and labor required for the process, as well as a feeling among young women that they were aging, ohaguro was done only by married women, unmarried women who were older than 18, prostitutes and geisha. For rural people, ohaguro was done only at times of special celebrations, such as matsuri, wedding ceremonies, and funerals. There were also depictions of ohaguro in fairy tales, such as Gon, the Little Fox
Gon, the Little Fox
Gon, the Little Fox is a famous Japanese children's story about the life of a little fox called Gon. The story is considered the masterpiece of Niimi Nankichi, also sometimes known as the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan....
.
On February 5, 1870, the government banned the practice of ohaguro, and the process gradually became obsolete. (After the Meiji period, it temporarily spread, but in the Taisho period, it almost entirely died out.)
In contemporary times, the only places where ohaguro can be seen is in plays, hanamachi
Hanamachi
A hanamachi is a Japanese courtesan and geisha district. The word's literal meaning is "flower street". Such districts would contain various okiya . Nowadays, the term hanamachi is commonly used in modern Japan to refer to the areas where modern-day okiya are still operating. In Kyoto's Gion...
(geisha quarters), some matsuri, and movies.
Dyes
The main ingredient was a smelly dark-brown colored liquid made of an acetic acid called kanemizu (かねみず) with iron dissolved in it. Gallnut powder and tannin powder were blended in, turning it non-water soluble. When the liquid combined with the tannins, it would turn black. Coating the teeth with this liquid helped to prevent tooth decay and enamel decay. The dye had to be applied once a day or once every few days.As a convenient prescription, a fine powder of gallnut powder, sulfuric acid, and oyster shell could also be applied to the teeth, though this never really caught on.
In theatrical plays, ink mixed with turpentine was used, though these days, ink mixed with tooth wax is used.
Superstitions and urban legends
- In the Meiji period, a rumor spread about an area where a virgin's blood was painted on an electric line. As a result of not wanting to have their blood taken as well, many of the young women in this area changed their appearances to match those of married women by blackening their teeth, painting their eyebrows and wearing simple kimono.
- In Yamada Norio's book "A trip of Tohoku Ghost Stories", a story about Fukushima prefecture is described. The story is called Ohaguro bettari (お歯黒べったり).
Elsewhere
Historically blackened teeth were known in China, and in the Shan Hai JingShan Hai Jing
Shan Hai Jing is a Chinese classic text, and a compilation of early geography and myth. Versions of the text have existed since the 4th century BC, and by the early Han Dynasty it had reached its final form. It is largely a fabled geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a...
, there is a description of a "black teeth country" (lit. 黒歯国). In modern times teeth blackening similar to ohaguro can be seen among many minority groups in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. It is mainly prevalent in older women, though the practice is still carried on by some younger women. Sometimes artificial teeth are used to achieve blackened teeth.
- YunnanYunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
- Hmong peopleHmong peopleThe Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
- Lahu peopleLahu peopleThe Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
- Yao peopleYao peopleThe Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
- Hmong people
- Vietnam
- ethnic Vietnamese
- Dao Tien people
- Lu peopleLu peopleThe Tai Lü people are an ethnic group of Vietnam, China, and Thailand. In Vietnam, most Lu live in the Lai Chau Province, and their population was 4,964 in 1999. In China, they are officially recognized as part of the Dai ethnic group. They speak a Tai language.Lu is the indigenous people in Mường...
- Black Hmong people
- Nung peopleNung peopleThe Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
- Laos
- Hani peopleHani peoplethumb|Typical daily attire of ethnic Hani in China. Near [[Yuanyang County, Yunnan|Yuanyang]], [[Yunnan]] Province, [[China]] The Hani people are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 nationalities officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They also form one of the 54 officially...
- Katu peopleKatu peopleThe Katu people are an ethnic group of about 17,000 who live in Eastern Laos.They should not be confused with the Kantu or the Kado, which groups are also at times referred to as the Kantu. Like the Kantu, the Katu are numbered among the Katuic peoples....
- Phu noi people
- Hani people
- Thailand
- Akha
- Lisu people
- Pacific Islands
- PalauPalauPalau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
- YapYapYap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
- PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
- Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- Palau
For a comprehensive review with further references, see Zumbroich T. J. (2009), The ethnobotany of teeth blackening in Southeast Asia and Zumbroich T. J. (2011), To strengthen the teeth and harden the gums - Teeth blackening as medical practice in Asia, Micronesia and Melanesia.