Ohaguro (お歯黒): black teeth made women look beautiful

Mark of attractiveness for women and help for military commanders: how is done?


For hundreds of years, the Japanese population considered the practice of dying teeth black (Ohaguro • お歯黒) as aesthetically pleasing. Generally, pitch-black objects were considered beautiful, especially if black lacquered (as the samurais’ armors). Plus, this dye helps to prevent cavities from appearing and preserve the natural tooth enamel: interesting!

GO TO: Kuro (黒): a color for sacredness and mundanity.

WHERE CAN I SEE OHAGURO TODAY?
Today Ohaguro can be seen only in some movies or plays, festivals and older geisha apprentices. In the rural areas, someone still dyes its teeth black for important ceremonies.

BAN & RESTORATION
Ohaguro was popular until the Meiji period (1868 – 1889). On 5th February 1870, the government banned this practice in name of modernization. Ohaguro was allowed again after the Meiji restoration, but it became an uncommon practice. 

OHAGURO AND WOMEN IN A NUTSHELL

  • Muromachi period (1392-1573) and Sengoku period (1467-1615) – Ohaguro was popular among adults, usually high-rank people. It was used also by daughters of military commanders: girls blackened their teeth black as a mark of their coming of age (8-10 y.o.!) and being ready for a political marriage of convenience.
  • Edo period (1600-1868) – Ohaguro lost popularity. It continued to be popular among men of the Imperial House and aristocracy. Here, women dyed their teeth when they were at the right age to look for marriage. It was popular also among geisha, married women and sex workers. This process began to be considered old-fashioned.
  • Meiji period (1868-1912) – Young women stopped using Ohaguro. It continued to be popular among unmarried girls older than 18, married women,  geisha and sex workers (and high-rank males).

WESTERNS MISCONCEPTIONS
Some westerns visiting Japan during the Edo period, misinterpreted the Ohaguro as a practice to make women look unattractive and prevent cheating. But it’s not true: at the time, Japanese girls had a relevant amount of social and sexual freedom. 

OHAGURO AND MILITARY COMMANDERS
It is told that military commanders with disfiguring scars on the face (sustained in battles) used to wear women’s make-up and dye their teeth to cover scars and not appear ugly. Their make-up imitated the classical Noh masks typical of women and young boys.

RURAL PEOPLE
In rural Japan, Ohaguro was used only during special celebrations: wedding ceremonies and funerals, festivals. The reason lies in the villagers’ busy lives and more important things to attend (Ohaguro requires time that can be employed in productive ways).

HOW’S OHAGURO DONE?
There are 3 options:

  1. The most popular: a dark brown solution of vinegar and iron filings (called kanemizu • かねみず) was mixed with tea powder or gallnut powder; the solution turned black and became non-water-soluble. It lasted from 24 to 48 hours.
  2. Uncommon: a mix of oyster shell powder, sulfuric acid and gallnut powder.
  3. Only in theatres: in the past ink was mixed with turpentine, today actors use a mix of ink and tooth wax (this tint hasn’t to last!) 

MANY NAMES!
The Japanese technique of dying teeth black has many names:

  • Ohaguro (お歯黒) – the most famous (and aristocratic) term: means ‘tooth/teeth’ and means ‘black’
  • Kane (鉄漿) – literally ‘iron drink’
  • Fushimizu (五倍子水) – the ancient term used at the old Imperial Palace in Kyoto
  • The common population used words as: hagurome (歯黒め)kanetsuke (鉄漿付け); tsukegane (つけがね) 

HISTORY, STORIES & SUPERSTITIONS
Ohaguro appears, for example:

  • References to Ohaguro are present in “The Tale of Genji” and “Tsutsumi Chunagon Monogatari”
  • Stories and fairytales as the famous Gon, the Little Fox” (Gongitsune • ごん狐)
  • Meiji period: a rumor spread about the blood of a virgin painted on an electric line. As a result, girls change their appearances to look similar to married women (similar make up, simple kimonos, blackening their teeth)
  • 2010: there is a story about Ohaguro in Yamada Norio’s book “A Trip of Tohoku Ghost Stories” 

Have you ever seen someone using お歯黒 before? Please, share!

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