. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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ohaguro, o-haguro お歯黒 / 御歯黒 / おはぐろ Ohaguro, black teeth
鉄漿 kane, 鉄漿水 kanemizu // おはぐろ水 ohaguromizu
浮世絵に見る江戸美人の化粧 Cosmetics of the Edo Bijin Beauties in Ukiyo-E
白、紅、黒―三色の美 The beauty of the three colors white, red and black
white お白粉 o-shiro for face powder
red 紅 beni for lip coloring
black お歯黒 o-haguro for teeth coloring and eyebrows
. Edo no bijin 江戸の美人 the beauties of Edo .
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Ohaguro (お歯黒) is a custom of dyeing one's teeth black. It was most popular in Japan until the Meiji era. Tooth painting is also known and practiced in the southeastern parts of China, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. Dyeing is mainly done by married women, though occasionally men do it as well. It was also beneficial, as it prevented tooth decay, in a similar fashion to modern dental sealants.
- Traces of blackened teeth can be seen in the buried bones and haniwa (250 to 538 CE) from the Kofun period.
- Shōsōin, a treasure house connected to Tōdai-ji in Nara, holds the teachings brought to Japan by Jianzhen in 753.
----- Dyes
The main ingredient was a dark-brown solution of ferric acetate called kanemizu (かねみず, 鉄漿水), made by dissolving iron filings in vinegar. When the solution was combined with vegetable tannins from such sources as gallnut powder or tea powder, it would turn black and become non-water-soluble, in the same manner that iron gall ink is produced. 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, 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 2010 book "A Trip of Tōhoku Ghost Stories" (山田野理夫東北怪談全集), a story about Fukushima Prefecture is described (お歯黒べったり, "Ohaguro Bettari").
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
Ukiyo-e of yama-uba with blackened teeth and Kintarō
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Things Japanese (1905) Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850-1935)
Blackening the Teeth
This peculiar custom is at least as old as A.D. 920; but the reason for it is unknown.
It was finally prohibited in the case of men in the year 1870. Even women have now abandoned it in Tōkyō, Kyōto, and the circumjacent provinces; and to see it surviving as a means of feminine adornment (?), one must repair to certain remote rural districts, the north-west coast, for instance, or the extreme north-east, where distance and poverty have acted as conservative forces. Every married woman in the land had her teeth blackened, until the present Empress set the example of discontinuing the practice.
Fortunately, the efficacy of the preparation used wears out after a few days, so that the ladies of Japan experienced no difficulty in getting their mouths white again. Mr. A. B. Mitford, in his amusing Tales of Old Japan, gives the following recipe for tooth-blacking, as having been supplied to him by a fashionable Yedo druggist:—
"Take three pints of water, and, having warmed it, add half a teacupful of wine. Put into this mixture a quantity of red-hot iron; allow it to stand for five or six days, when there will be a scum on the top of the mixture, which should then be poured into a small teacup and placed near a fire. When it is warm, powdered gall-nuts and iron filings should be added to it, and the whole should be warmed again.
The liquid is then painted on to the teeth by means of a soft feather brush, with more powdered gall-nuts and iron, and, after several applications, the desired colour will be obtained."
- source : en.wikisource.org/wik... -
'A Strange White Smile': A Survey of Tooth-Blackening and other Dental Practices in Japan.
Blomberg, Catharina. / Japan Forum 2:2 (1990)
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. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .
. neko 猫 / ねこ と伝説 Legends about cats, Katzen .
Once a man took a second wife, the daughter of a 旗本 Hatamoto Samurai.
One night the man looked into the room of the wife and saw a strange something beside her bed. It had a mouth opening up to the ears and the teeth were all black.
When the Samurai killed this monster, they found it was an old cat. This kind of story is told in various versions.
................................................................................. Aichi 愛知県
犬山市 Inuyama city
. yamanba 山姥 old mountain hag - legends .
At 新蔵 Shinzo there was a strange large woman sitting on a rock, her black teeth shining in the moonlight.
Someone tried to shoot her with an arrow and was sure he had hit something. When he followed the blood stains on the ground, he came to the house of 与八郎 Yohachiro, where his wife was lying dead on the ground.
Later they build a small shrine to appease her soul.
................................................................................. Gifu 岐阜県
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揖斐川町 Ibigawa town
About 100 years ago, there was お歯黒のお化け a monster with black teeth roaming the road at 牛洞 Ushibora.
It would appear suddenly and ask
tsuita ka, mite kuru ついたか、見てくろ
There is a similar story in Kyoto at the temple 大徳寺 Daitoku-Ji about お歯黒狸 a Tanuki badger with black teeth.
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大野郡 Ono district 清見村 Kiyomi village
. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
A girl had been taking a nap under a kurinoki 栗の木 chestnut tree, when at night she suddenly begun to blacken her teeth and behaved quite strange.
Her grandmother thought she must have been seen by a serpent which wanted a bride. She gave her a drink that would melt away the black of the teeth and soon the girl became quiet again.
................................................................................. Kumamoto 熊本県
八代郡 Yatsushiro district
garappa ガラッパ Kappa - water goblin
西村光弘 Nishimura Mitsuhiro had been brought up at 小築島 Kotsuku Island off Yatsushiro.
As a child he saw a woman of about 40 jumping into the see, who was then taken hold of by some fishermen.
This woman had once used a needle blackened with Ohaguro and thrown it into the sea. This would frighten the local Kappa and prevent him from harming the fishermen.
. Kappa legends from Kumamoto 熊本県 .
................................................................................. Kyoto 京都市
tanuki 狸 badger
At the temple 大徳寺 Daitoku-Ji there lived a Tanuki called Ohaguro ba おはぐろ婆 Old Hag with Black Teeth.
It used to sit in the pine grove near the temple and keep ist tools for blackening teeth, then frighten the people.
A anma 按摩 blind masseur took a large bag and caught the Tanuki
. Tanuki legends from Kyoto 京都府 .
................................................................................. Nara 奈良県
橿原市 Kashihara city
. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
In the early morning an elderly person went to the Shrine to pray.
Nearby there was a young woman with nicely combed hair, bringing mochi 絣 rice cakes as offerings and having her teeth all blackened.
The woman laughed in a strange way, ケタケタ keta-keta.
This young woman was in fact a fox in disguise.
................................................................................. Niigata 新潟県
fusuma フスマ large wrapping cloth - Yokai monster
Sometimes at night out of nowhere there comes a large cloth, like a furoshiki 風呂敷, and wraps around the head of the sleeper. This is called fusuma.
It can not be cut, even with the sharpest sword.
But if the teeth have been blackened with Ohaguro, it is easy to cut and destroy.
Therefore, in former times and until recently, even men would use Ohaguro, just to be on the safe side.
................................................................................. Oita 大分県
ohaguro mizu おはぐろ水 Ohaguromizu, hot spring
Hyoshimizu Onsen (Himeshima-mura) 5118-2, 姫島 Himeshima, Higashikunisaki District, Ōita
姫島拍子水温泉
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拍子水 Hyooshi-mizu Hyoshimizu Spring - "Hand-clapping"
This is a spring water in the precinct of Himekoso Shrine, or otherwise known as Akamizu Shrine, located on Himeshima Island, in Higashi-Kunisaki County, Oita Pref.
This spring water is included in the Seven Wonders of Himeshima Island.
Enshrined at Himekososha Shrine is Hime-gami (god’s princess), who ran away from Tsunuga Arashito, the prince of Gaya Confederacy. The legend has it that when the princess applied ohaguro (liquid to blackens the teeth) on her teeth and wanted to cleanse the mouth with water. Not being able to find any water around her, she clapped her hands (拍子 hyoshi) and then water (水 mizu) sprang out of the ground.
So, this spring water is also called “Ohaguro Mizu (ohaguro water).”
It is a hot spring of bicarbonate low temperature mineral spring. Visitors can take a bath in “Hyoshimizu Hot Spring.” There are two kinds of baths there; the cold spring and the hot spring, both of which are of light brown water. It is good for nerve pain, chronic gastroenteric diseases, and a cold constitution.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp... -
. Legends about Onsen Hot Springs 温泉と伝説 .
................................................................................. Saitama 埼玉県
志木市 Shiki city 柏町 Kashiwa
. ohaguro Jizoo お歯黒地蔵 Jizo Bosatsu with black teeth .
A beautiful girl had moved nearby, so the Jizo statue went out to see her. When he came back, he had Ohaguro on his cheeks.
. Legends about Jizō - Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 .
................................................................................. Wakayama 和歌山県
haguroishi, haguro-ishi 歯黒石 the Haguro stone
In the back yard of the Shrine is a stone called Haguro Ishi 歯黒石 "stone to blacken the teeth".
If people got a part of the stone, made it to powder and then 鉄漿水 Kanemizu water to blacken their teeth, they would have good luck and great fortune.
In a cavity there was always some water, more or less according to the tide. This water could also be used to blacken the teeth.
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田辺市 Tanabe
suzume 雀 sparrow，tsubame 燕 swallow
Once upon a time
the two sisters, Swallow and Sparrow, were told of the imminent death of their mother.
The Swallow put on mourning robes and make-up, but thus was not in time for the death to occur.
The Sparrow just blackened her teeth and flew straight to the home, where she could watch her mother die in peace.
This is the reason why the sparrow is not very beautiful, but can eat rice,
whereas the swallow is beautiful, but has to eat earth.
................................................................................. Yamagata 山形県
最上郡 Mogami district
nogitsune / Yako 野狐 fox Yokai monster
Once the priest from the temple 三蔵院 Sanzo-In was walking in the mountain forest, when he met a Nogitsune.
He put his horagai 法螺貝 conch trumpet on the ear and blew. Suddenly the path became dark and he saw a house where he could stay over night. In this house, a woman had just died before giving birth. The priest was bewildered when he suddenly saw the woman get up again, blacken her teeth and then bit into the face of the priest. He turned his eyes in surprize and woke up . . . when he came to his senses, it was still light in the middle of the day.
. yako 野狐 nogitsune, "fox in the field" Yokai .
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Once upon a time, where was a couple living happily together.
On お庚申さんの日 the day of the Koshin Festival, the woman blackened her teeth and on the next day went into the mountain forest, but did not come back. A few days later a villager said he had seen her. She had eaten
fukutsu no kai ふくつの貝 shells of fortitude to be able not to get older.
She would drink red blood and eat raw flesh every day.
One day she came to see her husband and told him he would join her fate too, if he would blacken his teeth on the day of the Koshin Festival.
. The Koshin Cult 庚申信仰 .
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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
お歯黒 / 鉄漿 / - ok
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やぶいりや鉄漿(かね)もらひ来る傘の下
- another version : 養父入や鉄漿もらひ來る傘の下
yabuiri ya kane morai kuru kasa no shita
servant's holiday -
under an umbrella she comes
to get Ohaguro
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 (1715 - 1783) .
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行く春の鉄漿つけなやむ女哉
yuku haru no kanetsuke nayamu onna kana
as spring is leaving
this woman is worrying about
blackening her teeth . . .
. 正岡子規 Masaoka Shiki (1867 - 1902) .
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おはぐろをあぶる役者の火鉢かな
ohaguro o aburu yakusha no hibachi kana
坂東みの介 Hando Minosuke
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お歯黒が落着いてくる十三夜
筑紫磐井
お歯黒となりて口開く春の夢
鳥居真里子
紋白蝶お歯黒美しき祖母憶ふ 松尾次子
鉄漿いろに蔓が枯れてる野分かな 飛鳥田[れい]
鉄漿つけし松茸売はなつかしき 富安風生
鉄漿の甕よりい出て射干へ 久米惠子
鉄漿をつけたる母の十夜かな 萩原麦草
むかし公卿の鉄漿の口柳絮とぶ 針呆介
京人形鉄漿つけあはれ吉野の忌 荒木法子
十夜婆々お鉄漿つけてまだ若し 河野静雲
古妻の怠る鉄漿や冬に入る 吉武月二郎句集
春宵や鉄漿壺のありどころ 西島麦南
煤の夜の昔の母は鉄漿つけき 柏崎夢香
笹鳴に唇そらし鉄漿つける 長谷川かな女
笹鳴や鉄漿つけ給ふ中納言 四明句集
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ohaguro tonbo 鉄漿蜻蛉 / 羽黒蜻蛉 Haguro dragonfly, Calopteryx atrata
They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings.
厚底の靴に鉄漿蜻蛉かな
西田孝 Nishida Takashi
鉄漿蜻蛉(おはぐろ)の影おはぐろを追ひゆきぬ
Takazawa Ryooichi 高澤良一 Takazawa Ryoichi / Yoshikazu
竹林の梅雨をひらめく鉄漿とんぼ
松村蒼石 Matsumura Soseki (1887 - 1982)
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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .
. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .
. senryu, senryū 川柳 Senryu poems in Edo .
. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .
. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .
. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .
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